A Protocol for Medical Web Surfing

From CNN’s “Empowered Patient”, this article lists a variety of websites that will help patients…and doctors…find treatment options.

It starts with screening out the junk: “It’s the wild, wild West out there,” says Alan Spielman, CEO of URAC, a company that certifies health Web sites. “You really have to be alert as you go through these sites.”

To get rid of the junk, use a search engine that looks only at reputable sites that have been vetted by health professionals. Dirline, run by the National Library of Medicine, is one such engine, as are medlineplus and Imedix. Healthfinder searches for information on government health Web sites.