The Mysterious Maze of the World Wide Web : What Makes Internet Health Information High Quality ?

· To see examples of new information therapy innovations, read the 2004 Ix ® Conference Report. · Previous papers published in the peer-reviewed journal The Journal of Medical Internet Research provide considerable detail on the conceptual framework and the design and testing of the new tool described in this white paper: Abstract Abstract Abstract Abstract Abstract Consumers increasingly are turning to the Internet for help in making health care decisions, even though such information often is incomplete or inaccurate. Existing tools designed to help consumers find credible Internet health information focus almost exclusively on proxy measures of quality, such as the characteristics of the site sponsor and whether the site lists its sources. Our review of 90 sites with diabetes information found these proxy measures do little to explain the comprehensiveness and accuracy of the information provided. We lay out an alternative strategy for helping consumers find accurate and comprehensive Internet health information.