title: Accessing Quality Online Health Information: What Is the Solution?
abstract: The majority of the adult population in both Europe and North America have access to the internet. Over 70% state that they have used the internet to look for health information and the majority started their search at a search engine. Given that search engines list sites according to popularity and not quality, it is imperative that users have a means of discerning trustworthy and honest information from non-reliable health information. The HONcode, a set of eight quality guidelines, ensures access to standardized trustworthy health information which can be used as a tool to guide consumers.
authors.affiliation: Health on the Net Foundation, Geneva, Switzerland, celia.boyer@healthonnet.org.
authors.forename: Célia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Boyer
mesh_terms: D054626:Consumer Health Information / Q000592:standards*; D000068598:Data Accuracy; D063005:Health Information Systems / Q000592:standards; D038622:Internationality; D009862:Online Systems / Q000592:standards*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D057386:Search Engine / Q000592:standards*; D061108:Social Media / Q000592:standards*