The Web may be chock full of information, and that is great. When it comes to learning more about your child's health issue, particularly at 2 a.m. during a semi-crisis, it can also make it hard to decide which sites provide trustworthy facts versus unscientific opinions.
Here are the top six Web sites I come back to time and again when I need dependable resources to write about a pediatric health condition.
All of the information on these sites is written and/or reviewed by doctors and other healthcare professionals.
1. Centers for Disease Control: Put your tax dollars to work. The CDC's web site is updated daily with terrific information about what is in the news, research and other helpful health tips.
2. Kids Health: Sponsored by Nemours Foundation, this great site breaks each health topic into three levels of understanding; for parents, for teens and for children.
3. American Academy of Pediatrics: The AAP offers a terrific library on everything from preemies to poison prevention. Their information represents the consensus view among member pediatricians of what is best for children's health.
4. National Institutes of Health: The NIH publishes gobs of information about pediatric diseases and conditions. It can be a little more research-oriented (since that's what the NIH does) but if you're looking for the latest research, it is a good place to start.
5. Web M.D.: If I know absolutely nothing about a health condition, I will often start at Web M.D. because they do a good job of explaining things in simple terms. From there, I can jump to other sites for more detail, such as #6, Medscape.
6. Medscape: While this site is written for doctors, once I know a bit about a health condition I can understand pretty much everything here. For a parent who has a child with a chronic illness, Medscape will provide the in-depth information you crave. Medscape and Web M.D. are hosted by the same company.