Guide to Health Information Resources for Patients, Coursework Example

Introduction

Consumer health information is available across many different platforms and websites of varying degrees of detail and quality. These websites also produce mixed results and levels of accuracy in health information for the consumer population; therefore, they must be closely evaluated so that they are able to provide useful information in a timely manner (Fletcher & Fletcher, 2014). Consumer health informational websites often promote specific products through advertising efforts; therefore, this must be considered in order to determine their level of legitimacy (Fletcher & Fletcher, 2014).

Analysis

WebMD represents one of the most popular websites for consumers, yet it is driven by advertising and sponsorships, which may distort its accuracy and overall credibility. The website provides health information of many types to consumers, using a field of experts to support their knowledge base (WebMD, 2014). At the same time, the site’s popularity represents its ability to be effective in reaching large groups of people (WebMD, 2014). Similarly, the website for the Mayo Clinic offers consumer health information that supports the general knowledge base and the ability to better understand basic health issues from the consumer perspective (Mayo Clinic, 2014). This organization is highly respected and its website is popular because its information content is relatively simple in nature and at a level that many consumers are able to understand (Mayo Clinic, 2014).

Conclusion

Consumer health information websites are used widely throughout modern society and provide a means of accessing knowledge regarding issues relating to overall health and wellbeing. At the same time, these websites provide information from a new perspective and support the demand for health information that is easy to access and understand, thereby shifting the social landscape in many important ways to promote consumer knowledge and understanding of health issues (Huber & Gillaspy, 2011).

References

Fletcher, R., & Fletcher, S. (2014). Guide to health information resources for patients. Retrieved from http://www.uptodate.com/contents/guide-to-health-information-resources-for-patients

Huber, J. T., & Gillaspy, M. L. (2011). Knowledge/Power Transforming the Social Landscape: The Case of the Consumer Health Information Movement. The Library, 81(4).

Mayo Clinic (2014). Home page. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.org/

WebMD (2014). Home page. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/