Bad Medicine: Study Finds Problems with Online Healthcare Information

searchenginewatch.com ^ | March 3, 2004 | Chris Sherman

[NotQuiteCricket]

Searching for health information on the web? Be careful: A new study says that it's difficult for many people to accurately access and evaluate credible health information.

(snip)

A new study (news release, pdf report) by medical consumer advocate URAC and Consumer WebWatch details the problems consumers have finding credible health information, and provides recommendations to improve the situation.

The study cites four primary problems with finding reliable health care information on the web.

Two reasons have to do with the knowledge and skill of web users. Many consumers' ability to locate and evaluate health information online is hindered by access barriers for older, less well off, disabled, and non-English speaking Americans. Many people also lack critical thinking skills, having problems distinguishing credible health information from that which is not trustworthy.

Of course, lack of critical thinking skills is a problem in many parts of life, both online and off -- think of the recurring Ponzi schemes that promise too good to be true investment returns, only to inevitably collapse. But for some reason, even otherwise sensible people lower their guard when it comes to email and the web.

The study also found problems with the web itself. Many web sites contain inaccurate, outdated or incomplete information. And of particular note, the study found that many consumers had a lack of knowledge about how search engines retrieve results, and didn't realize that paid placements listings can be featured prominently on search engine result pages without regard to quality.

(snip)

[NotQuiteCricket]

Excerpted due to - don't know how this site feels about being quoted.

[DumpsterDiver]

A new study says that it's difficult for many people to accurately access and evaluate credible health information.

Some people find it difficult to tie their own shoelaces.

[camas]

must be starting to cut into the doctors bottom line??

[pabianice]

You mean I've been walking around with these leeches hanging off my face for nothing??!!

[prion]

Yes. Life is really, really hard for stupid people.

[NotQuiteCricket]

If you read the whole article - it gets much worse. Sounds like a push to regulate internet advertising results that are returned after you do a search.

People are stupid - apparently even IT professionals (per the author's experience).


Here is my take on what research regarding how people react to search engines returning relevant advertising with their search results is pushing for:
Life & death information regarding healthcare, should be denoted as being either "reliable" or "not reliable." Of course, since some medicine seems to be consensus driven with a political agenda, who gets to determine not/reliable would be point. My guess would be eventual government regulation. Of course, this is stupid - people who don't speak English are discriminated against - bullshit - you would think that English was the only language on the internet. I'm not even going to address the other issues. (Critical thinking???? come on guys, I think maybe READING comprehension is the issue). Free internet BAD - regulated internet GOOD. I mean, imagine all the misinformation that people find.......(gonna stop my rant right here)

[NotQuiteCricket]

And we should try to make it as easy as possible for them. Because without the stupid people's good will, no one would get elected.
(I'm sorry, it is just that people aren't stupid - but people who do research try really hard to prove how stupid "the public" is. People may be lazy, may have problems, but they know what to do to survive, just that it seems like there are more and more people saying that they want to survive off my back, and not their own. To go waaaaaay off topic.)

[DumpsterDiver]

Sounds like a push to regulate internet advertising results that are returned after you do a search.

Things must be tightly regulated by the government in order to ensure an orderly dispersal of propaganda information in doses that the unwashed masses can easily digest. Surely you can appreciate that. Have you no compassion for the lobotomized who shuffle amongst us?

After that dose of BS, I need a drink to wash away the taste!

[CdMGuy]

So, let me understand. Now that I can research my ailments on the internet to exhaustion, now that I can learn the seriousness of my medical conditions, now that I can be more educated when I go visit my doctor, these media elites are telling me that I am a total a-hole who is incapable of being able to understand what I am reading? Right. Wow, we are just so, so dumb. It amazes me that I just composed this paragraph.