When to trust health information posted on the Internet

摘要

A young overweight female patient comes to your pharmacy, asking your opinion about a new product called the "fat magnet pill." She read on the Internet that this product will help her lose weight without having to change her food habits. It seems to be a "revolutionary discovery" She shows you the article she retrieved from the website, which seems to be pretty convincing. How do you, as a health professional, evaluate the validity of the information found and therefore advise your patient? This article aims to provide pharmacists with tools that will help them decide whether to trust health information posted on the Internet.