Get help Patient information and guidance How to find trustworthy health information online Contents Introduction What you can search for How to search online What to look for Warning signs Using the information Trusted sources Share your views on the information on this page Contact us Introduction The internet can be a great place to find out more about your health condition and find support. But it is crucial to make sure the information you find is trustworthy. Anyone can post anything online, including false health information. There are no laws stopping this. This page is designed to help you find trustworthy information online. If you are unsure of anything, always check with your healthcare professional. You should never make medical decisions based on online information alone. What you can search for The internet can help you to manage your condition in a number of ways. You can: Use the NHS website – www.nhs.uk– to search for and compare health services Find out more about your condition Search for apps to help you manage your health Find online support groups. Buying medicines online Buying medicines online can be dangerous. You should only buy medicines from registered online pharmacies. The General Pharmaceutical Council runs a scheme to help you identify legitimate online pharmacies – www.pharmacyregulation.org You can search for information on your medicines online. Here are some things to remember: The dose prescribed by your doctor may be different from the patient information leaflet. Always follow instructions from your doctor or pharmacist Medicines have two names – a generic name and a brand name. For example, ibuprofen is a generic name and Nurofen® is a brand name Some medicines were originally developed to treat different conditions. This may make some of the information you read confusing. You can find information on your medicines at www.nhs.uk/medicines. To learn more about buying prescriptions online, and understanding your medicines in general, visit our other resource. How to search online Using search engines Try to make your search specific. For example, if you are searching for diabetes, try “type 2 diabetes symptoms”. Use quotation marks to search exact phrases. For example, “asthma support groups”. For UK-specific information, use the "advanced search" option or add "UK" to your search. The first result isn’t always the best. A company can pay to have its webpage listed higher in the search results. Medical journals Medical journals can be useful if you are trying to find information on a rare condition or new treatment. One of the most popular databases is PubMed – pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Remember: journals are written for doctors and scientists, so the language is often technical. Finding apps Visit www.nhs.uk/conditions and find your condition; then see if any apps are recommended. Several large charities have also developed their own apps. Useful resources www.discern.org.uk– a brief questionnaire to assess the quality of information www.evidence.nhs.uk– a directory of evidence-based information pathways.nice.org.uk– a tool providing quick and easy access to NICE resources www.cochranelibrary.com– high-quality, independent evidence databases. What to look for Below are some questions to help you check the information you find online is trustworthy. Is there a date? Medical advice changes over time so make sure the information is up to date. Websites providing trusted health information will normally include a publication and review date. Who produced it? Knowing who produced the information can help you understand why they produced it. For example, a commercial website might be trying to sell you something. Follow any links that say ‘home’ or ‘about us’ to find out more about the organisation. What is the website address? Charity and non-profit websites often end in ‘.org.uk’ or ‘.org’. Government websites end in ‘gov.uk’. Academic institutions end in ‘ac.uk’. Does it look professional? Check for spelling errors and make sure links work. Look out for unusual looking links as not all links are trustworthy. Is there evidence? Two people with the same condition can have very different experiences. Is the author expressing an opinion based on their own experience? Do they have evidence to back it up? Does it include sources? If someone says they have evidence they should provide the sources to support this. Is it backed by other organisations? Check if the information is endorsed by an organisation you trust. For example, the NHS or a reputable charity – it is worth checking if the charity is registered with the Charity Commission. Warning signs False health information can be dangerous. Some websites are set up to make money or to cause controversy. Others may include information which is out of date, has been misinterpreted or is plain wrong. You should always try to find the original source. Here are some warning signs to look out for: ‘Miracle cure’ or ‘wonder drug’ These titles are designed to catch your attention. However, they often lack context which can lead to exaggeration. If it sounds too good to be true, it is! Never pay for a treatment or medicine based on claims like these. You could put your health at risk. Always speak to your doctor or pharmacist first. Small groups – big results Generally speaking, more people in a study means more reliable results. Be wary of information which claims big results from small sample sizes. ‘My friend said’ Personal stories are great for knowing other people are going through the same thing as you. But everybody responds to treatment in different ways. Just because someone has had a particular side effect or outcome does not mean you will. Remember, just because your friend shared information with you does not mean it is true. Bias Does the information seem balanced? If it is all negative or all positive the publisher might be biased. This does not mean what they say is untrue. But you should think about their reasons for publishing. Staying safe from dangerous websites Some websites try to steal your information. Warning signs of this might include: Asking for personal details you don’t need to give Poor spelling and grammar No contact information. Using the information Once you have found the information you need, here’s what to do: Make a note of where you found the information and print any pages you want to keep. Websites change and there is no guarantee the information will still be there later. Talk to your doctor about the information you have found. Try not to take a huge stack of papers to your appointment. Instead, use the information to put together a list of questions to ask. See our information on Make the most of your GP appointment for more guidance on this. Trusted sources We’ve only included organisations we believe are professional and reputable. We are not responsible for the content published on these external sites. For general health information: www.bacp.co.uk – professional website for talking therapies healthtalk.org – information based on people’s experiences www.nhs.uk – A-Z of conditions and medicines www.nhs.uk/service-search – search for GPs and opticians patient.info – healthcare information written and reviewed by doctors For specific conditions: www.alzheimers.org.uk – dementia www.bhf.org.uk – heart disease www.diabetes.org.uk – diabetes www.macmillan.org.uk – cancer www.mind.org.uk – mental health www.mstrust.org.uk – multiple sclerosis www.stroke.org.uk – stroke www.versusarthritis.org – arthritis theros.org.uk - osteoporosis www.britishinfection.org - infectious diseases www.haemophilia.org.uk - haemophilia www.neural.org.uk - neurological conditions www.moorfieldseyecharity.org.uk - eye conditions www.menieres.org.uk - ear conditions www.asthmaandlung.org.uk - respiratory conditions www.eveappeal.org.uk - gynaecological conditions www.britishskinfoundation.org.uk - skin conditions www.arma.uk.net - musculoskeletal conditions www.theurologyfoundation.org - genitourinary conditions Let us know how useful this information has been to you. Take our survey. Couldn’t find what you were looking for? Our team might be able to help - details of how to contact them below. Contact the Patients Association helpline The Patients Association offers a free national helpline providing specialist information and advice to help patients make sense of their health and social care. Patients can talk directly to a member of our helpline team in strict confidence about any concerns, questions or general experiences they have regarding the NHS and care systems. The helpline is open from 9.30 am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, and calls outside these times are returned as soon as possible during opening hours. If you would like to contact the helpline, please call free on 0800 345 7115, or visit the Patients Association helpline page on our website for more information. Last updated: June 2025. Next review date: June 2027 Manage Cookie Preferences