The Quality of Medical Information on the Internet: Some Current Evaluation Frameworks

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of some of the criteria that are currently being used to assess medical information found on the World Wide Web (WWW). Drawing from the evaluation frameworks discussed, a simple set of easy to apply criteria is proposed for evaluating on-line medical information. The criterion covers the categories of information accuracy, objectivity, privacy, currency and authority. A checklist for web page assessment and scoring is also proposed, providing an easy to use tool for medical professionals, health consumers and medical web editors.