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AgePage

National Institute on Aging

Online Health 

Information: Is It 

Reliable?

Many older adults share a common 

concern: “How can I trust the health 

information I find on the Internet?”

There are thousands of medical 

websites. Some provide reliable health 

information. Some do not. Some of the 

medical news is current. Some of it is not. 

Choosing which websites to trust is an 

important step in gathering reliable 

health information.

Where Can I Find Reliable 

Health Information Online?

The National Institutes of Health 

website, www.nih.gov, is a good place to 

start for reliable health information.

As a rule, health websites sponsored 

by Federal Government agencies are good 

sources of information. You can reach all 

Federal websites by visiting www.usa.gov. 

Large professional organizations and 

well-known medical schools may also be 

good sources of health information.

MedlinePlus.gov is a website from the 

NIH’s National Library of Medicine that 

has dependable consumer information 

about more than 1,000 health-related 

topics. Use their online tutorial to learn 

how to evaluate health information 

online at https://medlineplus.gov/

webeval/webeval.html.

Questions to Ask Before 

Trusting a Website

As you search online, you are likely to 

find websites for many health agencies and 

organizations that are not well-known. By 

answering the following questions, you 

should be able to find more information 

about these websites. A lot of these details 

might be found in the website’s “About Us” 

section.

1. Who sponsors/hosts the website? Is

that information easy to find?

Websites cost money to create and 

update. Is the source of funding (sponsor) 

clear? Knowing who is funding the website 

may give you insight into the mission or goal 

of the site. Sometimes, the website address 

(called a URL) is helpful. For example:

■ .gov identifies a U.S. government 

agency
3 4

■ .edu identifies an educational 

institution, like a school, college, or 

university

■ .org usually identifies nonprofit 

organizations (such as professional 

groups; scientific, medical, or research 

societies; advocacy groups)

■ .com identifies commercial websites 

(such as businesses, pharmaceutical 

companies, and sometimes hospitals)

2. Who wrote the information? Who 

reviewed it?

Authors and contributors are often, 

but not always, identified. If the author 

is listed, ask yourself—is this person an 

expert in the field? Does this person work 

for an organization and, if so, what are the 

goals of the organization? A contributor’s 

connection to the website, and any financial 

stake he or she has in the information on 

the website, should be clear.

Is the health information written or 

reviewed by a healthcare professional? 

Dependable websites will tell you where 

their health information came from and 

how and when it was reviewed.

Trustworthy websites will have contact 

information that you can use to reach 

the site’s sponsor or authors. An email 

address, phone number, and/or mailing 

address might be listed at the bottom of 

every page or on a separate “About Us” 

or “Contact Us” page.

Be careful about testimonials. Personal 

stories may be helpful and comforting, 

but not everyone experiences health 

problems the same way. Also, there is a big 

difference between a website, blog, or social 

media page developed by a single person 

interested in a topic and a website developed 

using strong scientific evidence (that is, 

information gathered from research).

No information should replace seeing 

a doctor or other health professional who 

can give you advice that caters to your 

specific situation.

3. When was the information written?

Look for websites that stay current 

with their health information. You don’t 

want to make decisions about your care 

based on out-of-date information. Often, 

the bottom of the page will have a date. 

Pages on the same site may be updated 

at different times—some may be updated 

more often than others. Older information 

isn’t useless, but using the most current, 

evidence-based information is best.

4. What is the purpose of the site?

Why was the site created? Know the 

motive or goal of the website so you can 

better judge its content. Is the purpose 

of the site to inform or explain? Or 

is it trying to sell a product? Choose 

information based on scientific evidence 

rather than one person’s opinion.
5 6

5. Is your privacy protected? Does the 

website clearly state a privacy policy?

Read the website’s privacy policy. It 

is usually at the bottom of the page or 

on a separate page titled “Privacy Policy” 

or “Our Policies.” If a website says it uses 

“cookies,” your information may not 

be private. While cookies may enhance 

your web experience, they can also 

compromise your online privacy—so it 

is important to read how the website will 

use your information. You can choose to 

disable the use of cookies through your 

Internet browser settings.

6. How can I protect my health 

information?

If you are asked to share personal 

information, be sure to find out how the 

information will be used. Secure websites 

that collect personal information responsibly 

have an “s” after “http” in the start of their 

website address (https://) and often require 

that you create a username and password.

BE CAREFUL about sharing your 

Social Security number. Find out why your 

number is needed, how it will be used, 

and what will happen if you do not share 

this information. Only enter your Social 

Security number on secure websites. You 

might consider calling your doctor’s 

office or health insurance company to 

give this information over the phone, 

rather than giving it online.

These precautions can help better 

protect your information:

■ Use common sense when browsing 

the Internet. Do not open unexpected 

links. Hover your mouse over a link to 

confirm that clicking it will take you to a 

reputable website.

■ Use a strong password. Include a 

variation of numbers, letters, and symbols. 

Change it frequently.

■ Use two-factor authentication when you 

can. This requires the use of two different 

types of personal information to log into 

your mobile devices or accounts.

■ Do not enter sensitive information over 

public Wi-Fi that is not secure. This includes 

Wi-Fi that is not password protected.

Be careful what information you share 

over social media sites. This can include 

addresses, phone numbers, and email 

addresses. Learn how you can keep your 

information private.

7. Does the website offer quick and easy 

solutions to your health problems? Are 

miracle cures promised?

Be careful of websites or companies 

that claim any one remedy will cure a lot 

of different illnesses. Question dramatic 

writing or cures that seem too good to 

be true. Make sure you can find other 

websites with the same information. Even 

if the website links to a trustworthy source, 

it doesn’t mean that the site has the other 

organization’s endorsement or support.
7 8

Health and Medical Apps

Mobile medical applications (“apps”) 

are apps you can put on your smartphone. 

Health apps can help you track your 

eating habits, physical activity, test results, 

or other information. But, anyone can 

develop a health app—for any reason—

and apps may include inaccurate or 

misleading information. Make sure you 

know who made any app you use.

When you download an app, it may 

ask for your location, your email, or other 

information. Consider what the app is 

asking from you—make sure the questions 

are relevant to the app and that you feel 

comfortable sharing this information. 

Remember, there is a difference between 

sharing your personal information 

through your doctor’s online health portal 

and posting on third-party social media or 

health sites.

Social Media and Health 

Information

Social media sites, such as Facebook, 

Twitter, and Instagram, are online 

communities where people connect with 

friends, family, and strangers. Sometimes, 

you might find health information or 

health news on social media. Some of this 

information may be true, and some of it 

may not be. Recognize that just because 

a post is from a friend or colleague it 

does not necessarily mean it’s true or 

scientifically accurate. 

A Quick Checklist

You can use the following checklist 

to help make sure that the health 

information you are reading online can 

be trusted. You might want to keep this 

checklist by your computer.

1. Is the sponsor/owner of the website a 

Federal agency, medical school, or large 

professional or nonprofit organization, or 

is it related to one of these?

2. If not sponsored by a Federal agency, 

medical school, or large professional or 

nonprofit organization, is the website 

written by a healthcare professional or 

does it reference one of these trustworthy 

sources for its health information?

3. Why was the site created? Is the 

mission or goal of the website sponsor 

clear?

4. Can you see who works for the agency 

or organization and who authored the 

information? Is there a way to contact 

the sponsor of the website?

5. When was the information written or 

webpage last updated?

6. Is your privacy protected?

7. Does the website offer unbelievable 

solutions to your health problem(s)? Are 

quick, miracle cures promised?
9 10

Check the source of the information, and 

make sure the author is credible. Factchecking websites can also help you figure 

out if a story is reliable.

Trust Yourself and Talk to 

Your Doctor

Use common sense and good judgment 

when looking at health information online. 

There are websites on nearly every health 

topic, and many have no rules overseeing 

the quality of the information provided. 

Use the information you find online as one 

tool to become more informed. Don’t count 

on any one website and check your sources. 

Discuss what you find with your doctor 

before making any changes to your 

health care.

For More Information About 

Reliable Health Websites

MedlinePlus: Evaluating Internet 

Health Information

National Library of Medicine

www.medlineplus.gov/

evaluatinghealthinformation.html

https://medlineplus.gov/webeval/webeval.html

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 

Services

1-800-633-4227 (toll-free)

1-877-486-2048 (TTY/toll-free)

https://www.medicare.gov/forms-help-resources/

help-fight-medicare-fraud/tips-prevent-fraud

Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention (CDC)

1-800-232-4636 (toll-free)

1-888-232-6348 (TTY/toll-free)

cdcinfo@cdc.gov

www.cdc.gov

HealthFinder.gov

www.healthfinder.gov

U.S. Food and Drug Administration

1-888-463-6332 (toll-free)

druginfo@fda.hhs.gov

www.fda.gov/forconsumers/protectyourself/

healthfraud/default.htm

For more information about health and 

aging, contact:

National Institute on Aging 

Information Center 

1-800-222-2225 (toll-free)

1-800-222-4225 (TTY/toll-free)

niaic@nia.nih.gov

www.nia.nih.gov

Visit www.nia.nih.gov/health to find more 

health and aging information from 

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publications.

NIH...Turning Discovery Into Health®

October 2018