Although Ivan Goldberg’s posting predated the Geneva-based Health on the Net (HON) Foundation’s code of conduct for medical Web sites, it reminds netizens of the need to think critically about health information gathered online. In a recent HON survey, 75 percent of the respondents agreed or strongly agreed that medical/health information on the Internet needs to improve.
HON Executive Director Mark Selby said that Internet surfers should not be too quick to accept everything they read online. "If you go to a newsgroup and read a posting, make sure you don’t just leave it at that. Make sure you look at the replies to that posting. Have a look elsewhere in that newsgroup," Selby said.
Also, be sure to talk with your own primary healthcare provider about your concerns and questions.