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Health Information on the Internet

Using the Internet to Research Doctors and Healthcare Professionals, or to get health-related information

Choosing a Doctor
Finding a healthcare professional to work with long-term can take some time and effort. And it could be one of the most important decisions you make in your entire life. It is important that you do your research before choosing a doctor. Luckily, there are tons of websites designed to help you find your new doctor - although you need to know how to separate the honest ones from those with a hidden agenda. A good website will provide a complete and unbiased database of local doctors and healthcare professionals, sometimes including their CVs and other pertinent information. Other sites will have user-generated reviews so you can read what other patients have to say about the doctor. If you are searching for a new doctor, or just want to check up on the credentials and reputation of your current healthcare professional, there are online resources may help you find the information you're looking for.

There are many databases available, some organized by location and specialties. Once you have found a database you can narrow your search even further to doctors that can work with your insurance agency. The process of narrowing your search will save you a ton of time and money, and allow you to make a list of probable doctors without ever leaving your house. From there your only job will be to meet the doctors that you have listed and ultimately decide which one will be able to help you best. Here are a few online doctor databases to get your started:

American Medical Association
The AMA Doctor Finder is probably the best place to start, other than your health insurance provider's website.

The Academy of General Dentistry
The AGD can help you find a general dentist through its database of members nationwide. But you will only find AGD members, so be sure to check out other sources as well.

National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health
This is the Medline Plus directory of health information websites.

Finding Health Information You Can Trust
Doing a search online can land you with dozens of websites for all sorts of healthcare topics, some are legitimate, some will be spam, and most are probably regurgitated "common knowledge" or completely irrelevant. The first thing you can to do is narrow your search to trusted sources. Are you looking for government websites? If so, try typing in "site:gov" after your search keywords. Leave off the quotes. Similarly, you could find only universities by typing "site:edu". This will greatly narrow your search and provide more reputable results.

Researching your health condition doesn't mean you should diagnose or treat yourself. But it can help you ask appropriate questions when you actually meet the healthcare professional. By asking the right questions from the beginning you make it easier for the doctor to understand your condition and symptoms, and diagnose and treat your illness.