Looking for reliable information ...

Since I work for the Cochrane Collaboration it’s not surprising that I recommend the Cochrane Library and Cochrane products as reliable sources of information about treatments for any disease or condition. But I make this recommendation not just because I’m part of Cochrane but because Cochrane reviews of the medical literature are produced according to high standards to avoid biased or false information. Summaries of Cochrane reviews are also easy to access: Visit http://www.cochrane.org/reviews to search for summaries, or visit the Arthritis Society web site for summaries about arthritis ( http://www.arthritis.ca/look at research/cochrane reviews).

But where else can you look for general information about arthritis and treatments? And how do you know if the information is unbiased and true?

First, go to web sites of reputable consumer and health care professional organisations. Don’t forget that there are other reputable organisations from around the world. Next, compare information between sites and sources. If the information is similar and confirmed at other sites, it’s likely reliable information. Also, when information needs to be current (for example, drug information) check when the site was last updated.

These are a just a few important points to keep in mind when judging health information. For more help and checklists for judging health information, visit · Information Quality Tool http://hitiweb.mitretek.org/iq/questions.asp · The DISCERN instrument http://www.discern.org.uk/discern__instrument.htm · How to find the most trustworthy health information web sites http://www.canadian-health-network.ca/servlet/ContentServer?cid=1042668266229&pagename=CHN-RCS/Page/ShellStaticContentPageTemplate&c=Page&lang=En

Here are a few examples of reputable web sites that you can visit as a start...

Consumer and Health Care Organisations (Canada and abroad)
Arthritis Society (Canada) http://www.arthritis.ca
Arthritis Care (UK) http://www.arthritiscare.org.uk/
Arthritis Australia http://www.arthritisaustralia.com.au/
Arthritis Foundation (US) http://www.arthritis.org/

NHS Direct (UK) – Patient Information http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/en.asp?TopicID=37
Canadian Health Network http://www.canadian-health-network.ca/
Mayo Clinic http://www.mayoclinic.com/
Mayo Clinic Drug Information http://www.mayoclinic.com/findinformation/druginformation/

Professional organisations
American College of Rheumatology Patient Fact Sheets
http://www.rheumatology.org/public/factsheets/index.asp
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons - Your Orthopaedic Connection
http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/

General and Evidence based information (For professionals and the ‘advanced’ consumer) Bandolier: Arthritis, Bones and Joints – Summaries of evidence http://www.jr2.ox.ac.uk/bandolier/booth/booths/bones.html The Merck Manuals (Text books for professionals and for consumers in the Home Edition)
http://www.merck.com/pubs/ Rx List (for drug information) http://www.rxlist.com/

If you’re interested in providing your feedback about the consumer summaries produced by the Cochrane Musculoskeletal Group, please contact Nancy Santesso at santesso@uottawa.ca or Alison Lott at alott@ohri.ca . All comments are welcome and we’d love to hear from you!