INTERNET DIAGNOSIS

The internet has given billions of people access to free information and a voice to the suppressed masses. When it comes to our healthcare, it's also given GP's around the world a headache, as websites invite people to self diagnose their conditions, leaving some doctors faced with patients already convinced of what ails them, and it can be difficult to persuade them otherwise. There are benefits and risks associated with internet diagnosis, and Tonic's resident skeptic Rich Brophy weighs in on the debate.

A lot of health information is available on internet but not all of it is reliable. Click here for five questions to ask so you can check whether a website is a good source of health information.

Many professional organisations and support groups provide good quality information about specific illnesses on their websites. You can find many of these in the A to Z list of health topics on the HealthInsite website — this is a government-funded gateway which only links to websites that meet quality standards. Other recommended sources of good quality health information include:

• Better Health Channel
• Family Doctor Home Advisor
• MedlinePlus
• National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine — US Institutes for Health
• The Cochrane Collaboration
• NHS Choices.

Wonder what other people think about sourcing health information on the internet? Click here for stories and videos on Medicine information on the web: sort the good from the bad and Don't use the internet as your doctor!.