To support my self care, I need a way to keep track of and share pertinent information I can use to get or keep healthy, and a way to understand that information. I’ll return to tracking information. First, here are the ways I find basic information, and keep up to date with new ideas. I have tried to provide respectful access to some information I use with links.
Since 2005, when we did the Future of Health Care study and I started to spend related time online, the internet has supported an explosion in available health information. All you have to do is find the quality versus untested information.
I like to start by going through sites that I know have some care put in to their postings and links, and media sites are one place for a macro view that is up to date and fairly reliable. Over the last few years, newspaper /media websites have grouped their health information. They have the links to their health pages near their top banners, though the position may shift. The set up of their pages usually reflects the health and health policy concerns at the top of the current public discussion, with some excellent reporting.
The Globe and Mail website now has a “Health and Fitness “page within their Life section. Over the last several years the health content has slid between more and less prominent spots. The page as it looked on Wednesday, February 1 2012, starts with “A workout program for your brain”, two columns related to diet, and “The Hot Button Blog” addressing a funding decision. The next section is “Health News”, then “Nutrition”,” Fitness”,” Fitness Videos”,” Ask A Health Expert”, “Conditions”, and “Policy” They keep their information current, evidence based, available and organized. They do not have a section with links to organized information.
The BBC has their “Health” link on their main banner, right between Business and Sci/Environment. They focus on topical headline health news, an expert blog on current issues, a section “From BBC Health” – controlling your anger and a life saving quiz – and then Useful Health Links. The BBC Health: A to Z of medical conditions provides a well indexed primer of basic health and body information.
The Toronto Star has created “healthzone.ca” as one of their “Other Star Sites”. You can find the link above the main banner, at the bottom of the main page, and also as a section under “Life”. Healthzone has a home page, and pages devoted to Your Health, Diet and Fitness, Mind and Mood, News and Features, and Flyers. They present a wide range of information which shows a self care and alternative care awareness. They take ads and links from a wide variety of related services which may not be supported by rigorous evidence, and post articles ranging from reporting current research to information not so clearly tied to research. This week the summary article ”Canadians health records closer to online access for patients and care providers” gives a succinct history of patient electronic records being piloted and implemented in Canada. The article points out that engaging people in the use of electronic tools may be a challenge, interesting when you look back at their article from January 24 “Childhood vaccines: Parents can report immunization records online” which reports that only one in five parents in Toronto have used the tool. I wonder what the introduction was of this tool, and how it compares to the introduction of tools, for instance MyChart at Sunnybrook.
When I am looking for specific, disease related information, I start with an academic, or hospital site like Sunnybrook. Since the LHINs were created in Ontario, their websites are also useful places to find reliable links – for instance the Toronto Central LHIN’s Helpful Links. However, not all of these sites regularly update their links, so you need to check the dates on the bottom of the pages to get an idea of the regularity of their content reviews.
So, where I look depends on the type of information I am looking for.
Oh yes – I always read the information my caregiver provides (doctor, dentist, physiotherapist, pharmacist, fitness trainer, tai chi instructor, etc.)! And I am waiting for that to be in an electronic form, with approved links.