Just Say No to Dr. Google

[twilight33]

80% of Americans are looking for health information online, but 75% of those people aren't really bothering to see just where that information is coming from (brand spankin' new source).

Teh G00gle is not the answer to health questions by a long shot, the consumer health search ranking assignment I did for my health sciences class showed the blatant commercialization weighting there.

Everybody now: MedlinePlus. There's Healthline as a search engine, but in light of yesterday's Pew report their sponsored content information doesn't sit too well with me.

Thank you, drive through.

Comments

[spaceling.livejournal.com]

webmd.com?

[twilight33]

They're ok on content and stating last updates & source info, but more focused on mainstream information plus very commercial (advertising, sponsored links, etc.) leading to a stronger bias/influenced information possibility. It's certainly more visually appealing but commerical sites always are. The most attractive medical information of all comes from pharmaceuticals and clearly they have something to sell you.

Alternative medicine is a major interest of mine, search queries on WebMD vs MedlinePlus illustrate why. Pew reports are considered solid, and if 75% of people aren't really paying attention to the difference between sponsored and regular hyperlinks, that concerns me.

[twilight33]

why = my format preferece. I wish LJ would allow comment edits already.

[twilight33]

Preference. Clearly I need to log off.