Technology Review

Patients Want to Surf? Tell Them Where to Go

Admit it. If one more patient today tells you about something he’s read on the Internet, your BIO is going to burst. Trying to find reliable health information on the World Wide Web is like trying to find worms for fishing: You have to know what rocks to look under. The old needle-and-haystack metaphor applies.

There’s plenty of hay to pick through when it comes to health-care information on the Internet. A Yahoo! search yields 3,100 sites for “healthcare,” 22,600 for “health,” 681 for “eye care” and 108 for “optometry.” You can help your patients find the right rocks, or you can just tell them where to go on the Web.

Picking Rocks
Two organizations post guidelines for Internet health sites. The American Medical Association (www.ama-assn.org) and Internet Healthcare Coalition’s (IHC) (www.ihealthcoalition.org) have them, and they’re downloadable. The AMA guidelines only cover AMA sites. The IHC code is for any organization that pays a $50 membership. Of those thousands of sites in the health-care space, a full 32 are IHC members.

IHC says a site must provide “truthful” content, clearly identify sponsors and note whether the sponsors have provided any of the content. The AMA states that “experts” should review clinical content before it’s posted, and content should adhere to the AMA’s patient privacy principles.

IHC’s guidelines also suggest members monitor their own compliance. Incidentally, of the eye-related sites that follow, none is an IHC member.

www.diabetes.org
The American Diabetes Asso-ciation site borders on information overload. There’s a lot going on with the home page, but if you pause and get your bearings, you’ll find a place rich in content for just about anyone. Headlines live right on the home page, so your patients (and you, if you’re so inclined) can get the latest news about diabetes.

The site goes in many different directions. There are self-help tips and sign-up for an e-news letter. Your patients can download books, review basic definitions under “General Information” and get recipes. In the “Youth Zone,” young patients can download games and books.

There are also profiles of prominent diabetics, among them Gary Hall Jr., the Olympic 50-meter free-style champion. For the more ambitious surfer, the site offers archives of newsletters and the journal Diabetes Care.

www.amdalliance.org
The AMD Alliance International has come up with a simple but functional and rather well conceived site for people with age-related macular degeneration. While it may look droll to the uninitiated, the large type and its simple red-black-white color scheme actually work well for the sight-impaired. There are even easy-to-find instructions on how to make the type larger.

This site isn’t as complicated or as vast as some. There are no tricky graphics or revolving banners. Buttons flash when the cursor passes over them, and there are seldom more than a handful per page—again, making it function well for those with AMD.

There are the basic descriptions and definitions of AMD, frequently asked questions (FAQs) and eye diagrams. The “Members Only” section is password protected. Another page tells patients how they can contact the association or its chapters. The “Press Room” lets patients keep up to date with news about AMD.

www.glaucoma-foundation.org
The Glaucoma Foundation site is a rather static offering with bright colored, easy-to-read buttons on the home page.

This site doesn’t have the depth of content that others have. The “News” section has some stories, but they’re a few months old. There are a couple ways to get the foundation’s 20-page brochure on glaucoma—either by ordering it through the site or by downloading an Adobe version.

Patients can sign up for a mailing list and a “Youth Support Group” is oriented toward younger glaucoma patients.

www.preventblindness.org
Patients can look under this rock when they want general information about eye problems. The Prevent Blindness America site offers explanations about all types of eye problems—cataract, computer eyestrain, floaters, AMD, etc. The descriptions are as extensive as the list.

Patients can find some other useful tools here. One section has a checklist for an eye appointment. Others offer self-tests. There are near-vision and child’s distance vision charts patients can print out. There’s also a series of self-assessment glaucoma questions. The interactive component consists of forums where patients may post messages.

www.nei.nih.gov
Tell your patients to go to the National Eye Institute’s site if they want the latest on eye health and research. There are the basic descriptions on glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, corneal disorders and the like. There are also directions on how to contact principals involved in NEI clinical studies.

There’s plenty of practical information for patients. “Information on Financial Aid” provides contacts for Vision USA, Lions Club, Mission Cataract USA and other groups that provide free or reduced-price eye care. “Low Vision Resources” links to print materials, employment opportunities and directories.

Patients can print out a detailed diagram of an eye, or order publications from the NEI’s list. They can also post questions and get answers. The “News” section is updated almost daily and may well be one of the best sources for clinical information about eye research. The site also lists information about every NEI study.

So, the next time a patient gushes about the what he’s just read on the Internet, tell him where to go … for reliable information. u —Rk, Ab

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