How to Find Health Information on the Internet

A patient or any of his/her relative who is not satisfied with the attention given to him by his physician would naturally want to get more information on the internet about the ailment and possible remedies. This will not only inform the patient and his relatives, it may also provide the needed turn around in getting qualitative medical care.

The problem is that most of those people seeking health information on the internet do not know the tools and combination of resources to use when seeking for health information on the internet.

Here are the resources that will guarantee a successful search:

Content Specific sites
Sites owned by world bodies and organisations have a strong database of information on diseases and their conditions. The world health organisation and the centre for disease control are organisations very rich in health information on the internet. You can go to such sites and mime the archive for relevant information.

Specialized Sites
These sites are good in the areas of specialization. If you are looking for information on diabetes for example, going to any diabetes organisation site is the best tool to get information on the disease condition.

Hepatitis network website is another specialized site to hunt for information on the internet if your are seeking information on hepatitis. Such sites have links to sister organisations that provides more than enough information and remedies.

Expert Sites
Some experts in the medical fraternity maintains specific websites to show their discoveries in various areas of specialization. Heading to such sites will definitely make enough information available about the diseases they are so knowledgeable on. When you type the name of the expert on your browser search engine, you will be guided to such sites.

Journals
Journals in the area of health information you seek will give you recent information on the kind of disease you are interested in. Diseases such as cancer, diabetes, back pain, tumors etc all have journals published to provide scientific discoveries in those medical specializations.

Association Sites
All fields in the medical fraternity relate together through professional associations. Such associations which maintains presence on the internet provide bountiful information on their disciplines and associated diseases. They also share their experiences through such media. Links on their sites are full of information that could be of help.

Medical Search Engines
Instead of concentrating your effort on using general search engines like yahoo and Google to search for health information, your best option is to use any of the following medical search engines. These include medhunt and medline plus.

Any medical terminology you can't understand is readily explained in the medical encyclopaedia available on such sites.

Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Solomon_Benard

Health Care Online - Health Information - Is This Reliable?

Health Care Online : Is this information for real

Many people search the internet to find information about medical problems, various health issues or to find a health care provider. However, not all the information on the world wide web is credible. How is the patient supposed to know if what they are reading is reliable? Here are some questions to consider in evaluating health information from the internet.

First, ask yourself who is responsible for this content? Is it a special interest group, non-profit, for profit, professional association, government agency? Is there an attempt to sell you a cure?

When reading an article are you able to tell who the author is? Can you discern the qualifications or credentials? Does the author have any professional affiliations with major health or medical institutions?

Has the information been reviewed by other medical professionals? Or an advisory board?

Does the article provide sources for it's information? For example if the article reads "95% survival rate related to . . . " where did this number come from? And what exactly does survival mean? Just a side note (Many times people assume that a survival rate is the same as the opposite of death. The clarifying point is that survival rate takes into account a particular amount of time (e.g. 5 year survival, 3 year survival, 1 year survival rate etc.). Without qualifying what is meant by the terms used people can be led to believe many false claims.

Is there a way to contact the sponsor of the information for clarification of the material provided?

How is the site offering the information financially supported?

Is the health information current? Keep in mind health information seems to change very quickly. Ask yourself how recent is the information?

If you are asked to register for more information is it made clear how your personal information can and will be used? Does the site ask you to send money or for credit card or social security numbers? This should be a red flag that you should look at a different web site.

Of course anytime you find information online you should speak to a trusted source of health information like your primary care provider? Also, see if you can corroborate the information across multiple sites.

These tips should help you evaluate health information on the internet and empower you to make better health choices.

Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Raymond_Zakhari

HIPAA Law Protects Against Improper Disclosure of Health Information by Health Care Providers

In June 2009, a 22-year-old Honolulu mother of three young children was sentenced to a year in prison for illegally accessing another woman's medical records and posting on a MySpace page that she had HIV.

The State of Hawaii brought charges against the woman under a state statute criminalizing the unauthorized access to a computer; and which categorized the conduct of the defendant as a class B felony.

According to accounts of the incidents that led to the woman's conviction, there was a feud between the victim and the victim's sister-in-law, a friend of the defendant. The defendant, who worked as a patient service representative at the hospital where the victim was a patient, accessed the computer for the victim's sister-in-law.

Over the course of approximately ten months, the defendant accessed the patient's medical records three times through a computer. After she learned of the victim's medical condition, the defendant posted on her MySpace page that the victim had HIV. In a second posting, she said the victim was dying of AIDS.

The victim complained to hospital officials of the unauthorized access. After an internal investigation the hospital terminated the defendant's employment.

The defendant's conduct, of course, was egregious and inexcusable. The one-year jail term handed down by the Court exceeded the term recommended by the prosecutor. Nevertheless, beyond the issue of holding the defendant accountable for her actions some may question to what extent the hospital should bear responsibility for the breaches of confidentiality that occurred.

Federal law imposes statutory burdens on health care providers to protect against the improper use or disclosure of private health information and to reasonably limit uses and disclosures to the minimum necessary to accomplish their intended purpose.

Specifically, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996's ("HIPAA") privacy regulations became effective on April 14, 2003. HIPAA is intended to protect consumers' health information, allow consumers greater access and control to such information, enhance health care, and finally to create a national framework for health privacy protection. HIPAA covers health plans, health care clearinghouses, and those health care providers that conduct certain financial and administrative transactions electronically.

In addition to the privacy regulations, HIPAA's security rules became effective on April 21, 2005. Together the privacy and security regulations are the only national set of regulations that governs the use and disclosure of private, confidential and sensitive information.

Under HIPAA's Security Rule, the standards for the protection of electronic information covered by HIPAA are divided into three groups: Administrative safeguards, Physical safeguards and Technical safeguards.

A couple of the most significant required safeguards under HIPAA are the Administrative "Sanction Policy" and "Security Awareness Training" safeguards.

The sanction policy standard requires a communication to all employees regarding the disciplinary action that will be taken by the covered entity for violations of HIPAA. The sanction policy should have a notice of civil or criminal penalties for misuses or misappropriation of health information and make employees aware that violations may result in notification to law enforcement officials and regulatory, accreditation, and licensure organizations.

The security awareness training standard requires all employees, agents, and contractors to participate in information security awareness training programs. Based on job responsibilities, the covered entity should require individuals to attend customized education programs that focus on issues regarding use of health information and responsibilities regarding confidentiality and security.

The HIPAA privacy and security regulations require a privacy officer and security officer to be designated by the covered entity. The privacy and security officer should continually analyze and manage risk by thoroughly assessing potential risks and vulnerabilities, and implementing related security measures.

Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Roman_Amaguin