Many people turn to the internet when they have questions about health. But not every source is reputable. That is why the Tübingen District Health Office provides information on how to find reliable health information and what to look out for when searching.
At first glance, searching for health information on the internet seems simple: you enter a search term or question into a search engine or AI tool and you get answers. But not everything on the internet is correct. Anyone can publish information there without having any specialist knowledge.
How to find reputable websites
According to the Health Authority, one of the most important questions when searching for reliable websites is: Where does the information come from? This information can be found in the imprint (About us). Ideally, a reputable institution should be named there. A good website can be recognised by the fact that the names of the operators, the authors and their qualifications, as well as the financing, are mentioned. In addition, you can check how other organisations rate the website by entering the name of the site and the addition ‘rating’ or ‘criticism’ in the search field, for example.
Why you should pay attention to advertisements
The order of the search results does not say anything about the quality of the information, according to the health authority. The first hits are often paid advertisements. It is therefore advisable to look at more than ten hits. You should be suspicious if there is talk of guaranteed cures for serious illnesses. The same applies if advertisements for related products appear alongside the information or if products are sold via linked shop pages.
Internet forums and videos by influencers can also pose risks, according to the Tübingen Health Authority. These may contain case reports or recommendations from individuals that have not been verified. In some cases, people may even falsely claim to be patients in order to advertise products.
Examples of reliable websites
The “gesund.bund.de” portal of the Federal Ministry of Health offers information on diseases, prevention, care and health. It also has a search function for finding doctors’ surgeries, hospitals and pharmacies. It is possible to decipher medical diagnoses and obtain easy-to-understand information about them. The site is available in easy-to-read language, Arabic, English, Russian and Turkish:
https://gesund.bund.de/
Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care:
gesundheitsinformation.de
German Network for Health Literacy:
https://dngk.de/verlaessliches-gesundheitswissen/
Federal Institute for Public Health:
https://www.bioeg.de/
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