Evaluating information found on the web is essential. The criteria used to choose the following sites may also be of use to you when evaluating any web site. However, you should consult with your physician regarding any health information obtained from the web.

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
  (http://www.cdc.gov)
  
  The CDC's mission is "to promote health and quality of life by preventing and controlling disease, injury, and disability." The web site includes information on a wide variety of topics. Within the "Health & Safety" section, information is organized by categories including Birth Defects, Disabilities, Diseases & Conditions, Emergency Preparedness & Response, Environmental Health, Genetics and Genomics, Health Promotion, Injury & Violence, Travelers' Health, Vaccines & Immunizations and Workplace Safety & Health. The "Health Related Hoaxes and Rumors" page describes bogus information that may be prevalent on the Internet or from other sources of communication. CDC information is also provided in Spanish.

• familydoctor.org
  (http://familydoctor.org)
  
  The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), a national medical organization representing more than 93,700 family physicians, family practice residents and medical students operates this site. All of the information on the site has been written and reviewed by physicians and patient education professionals at the AAFP. Its main sections include "Conditions A to Z," "Healthy Living," "Parents & Kids," "Women," "Men," "Seniors," "Health Tools" and "Over-the-Counter Guide." Also available in Spanish.
  

• healthfinder™
  (http://www.healthfinder.gov/)
  
  Developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in collaboration with other Federal agencies, this web site is a gateway to consumer health information. It provides access to selected online publications, clearinghouses, databases, web sites, and support and self-help groups. It also links to government agencies and not-for-profit organizations that produce reliable information for the public. Searching may be done by either entering search terms in a text box or by selecting a link from within one of the major sections." Selected health care resources in Spanish are located in the section, "En Espanol." There is also a special site developed for "KIDS."

• HIV InSite
  (http://hivinsite.ucsf.edu/)
  
  HIV InSite is a project of the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) AIDS Research Institute. Designed as a gateway to in-depth information about particular aspects of HIV/AIDS, it provides numerous links to many authoritative sources. Its major categories include: "Knowledge Base" which is a comprehensive textbook on HIV/AIDS; "Medical," which contains treatment resources, medical literature, and listings of clinical trials; "Prevention," which includes information on what works and what doesn't for prevention of HIV infection; "Policy Analysis," which covers information on policy and legislation, resource allocation and ethical dimensions; "Countries and Regions," which provides worldwide information. Other links of interest are "For Patients and the Public," which contains a list of answers to commonly asked questions; "Links," an extensive categorized list of major HIV/AIDS sites, "News," which provides the latest news on HIV/AIDS issues and "Audio," which provides links to streaming media content.

• KidsHeatlh
  (http://kidshealth.org/)
  
  Created by The Nemours Foundation's Center for Children's Health Media, KidsHealth provides families with accurate, up-to-date, and jargon-free health information. Information on the site is doctor-approved and covers children from before birth through adolescence. The site provides separate areas for kids, teens, and parents.
  
  
• Lab Tests Online
  (http://www.labtestsonline.org/)
  
  Organized by the American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC) in collaboration with other professional societies representing the clinical laboratory community, this web site has been designed to help patients as well as healthcare professionals better understand the many laboratory tests that are part of the diagnosis and treatment of a broad range of conditions or diseases.
  
  

• MayoClinic.com
  (http://www.mayoclinic.com)

  The mission of this site is "to empower people to manage their health." Editors of the site include over 2000 physicians and scientists of the Mayo Clinic. Major sections include "Diseases and Conditions," "Healthy Living," "Drugs and Supplements," "Health Tools" and "Treatment Decisions."

• MedlinePlus
  (http://medlineplus.gov)
  
  MedlinePlus is a consumer-oriented web site established by the National Library of Medicine, the world's largest biomedical library and creator of the MEDLINE database. An alphabetical list of "Health Topics" consists of hundreds of specific diseases, conditions and wellness issues. Each "Health Topic" page contains links to authoritative information on that subject, as well as an optional link to a pre-formulated MEDLINE search, which provides journal article citations on the subject. Additional resources include physician and hospital directories, an online medical dictionary and encyclopedia, and consumer drug information. Health information in Spanish is also included. Links are also provided to interactive health education tutorials from the Patient Education Institute, ClincialTrials.gov and NIH SeniorHealth.

• MerckSource
  (http://www.mercksource.com)
  
  MerckSource offers a wide variety of health tools and resources. There is information on hundreds of conditions plus medical news. There is also a section that helps people prepare for a visit to a healthcare provider. Other useful resources include the Merck Manual-Home Edition, a medical text developed especially for consumers, the A.D.A.M. Encyclopedia, an illustrated health encyclopedia and Virtual Body Tours. "Health Centers" provides information by population groups including women, men, children and seniors.
  

• National Cancer Institute
  (http://cancer.gov)
  
  There are three major sections on this site. Each entry in "Types of Cancer" is broken down into categories including treatment, prevention, genetics and causes, screening and testing, clinical trials, cancer literature, research and related information and statistics. "Clinical Trials" allows you to search for trials by type of cancer, stage/subtype of cancer, type of trial and location of trial. "Cancer Topics" provides information on treatment, prevention, genetics, causes, screening and testing, coping with cancer and a link to PDQ (Physician Data Query), an NCI database that contains the latest information about cancer. A dictionary of cancer-related terms is also provided. Also available in Spanish.
  
  
• National Women's Health Information Center (NWHIC)
  (http://www.4women.gov/)
  
  Sponsored by the U.S. Public Health Service's Office on Women's Health, the mission of the Center is "to provide current, reliable, commercial and cost-free, health information to women and their families." The web site is a gateway to selected women's health information resources from the federal and private sector. The site may be searched by entering keywords, or by selecting from a list. The "Frequently Asked Questions About Women's Health" (FAQS) is arranged alphabetically by health topics with links to numerous questions and answers. Some of the subject links have "Easy to Read" counterparts for basic readers of English. Health information in Spanish is also included.
  
  
• NOAH: New York Online Access to Health
  (http://www.noah-health.org/)
  
  NOAH is a collection of state, local and federal health resources for consumers. NOAH's mission is to "provide access to high quality full-text consumer health information in English and Spanish that is accurate, timely, relevant and unbiased." Information is arranged in alphabetical "Health Topics" which are then narrowed to include definitions, care and treatment, and lists of information resources. Information is available in both English and Spanish.

Content revised December 2006