Kristie McNealy, MD

With ever increasing access to the internet, more and more people are turning to Google for the answers to medical questions. Unfortunately, a lot of medical information on the web is less than reliable, and sometimes just plain wrong.

A newly published study out of the UK looked at Google search results for 5 common pediatric medical questions and found that only 39% of the top 100 search results for each query gave correct advice. The rest gave incorrect information or failed to answer the question at all.

The five common health questions searched were: “MMR autism”, “HIV breastfeeding”, “mastitis breastfeeding”, “baby sleeping position” and “green vomit”. When the search result actually answered the question, the accuracy of the results were all over the map. In two cases (”mastitis breastfeeding” and “baby sleeping position”) 100% of the search results were correct, while only 51% of the “MMR autism” search results were correct.

In general, 55% of news sites gave correct answers. Government websites provided accurate information that agreed with recognized standards of care 100% of the time. Sponsored links located at the top of the search results were least likely to provide accurate information.

These result shouldn’t be surprising, considering the fact that pretty much anyone can publish anything they want on the internet. Anyone searching for health information (or anything else) on the web should be aware of this fact and should do their best to evaluate the quality of the information they find. This is simply common sense.

Unfortunately, I don’t think the finding that UK government sponsored websites were accurate 100% of the time is going to do anything for people who are already suspicious of the healthcare system, the government or so called “western” medicine. Perhaps it would be useful to have some more comprehensive public data on the accuracy of information on privately owned health information sites.

References:
Scullard et. al. Googling children’s health: reliability of medical advice on the internet. Arch Dis Child doi:10.1136/adc.2009.168856

As the mom of two preemies, and a March of Dimes Mom, the March of Dimes is a charity which holds a special place in my heart.  Without research funded by the March of Dimes, my younger daughter and many kids like her probably wouldn’t be alive today.

Research and NICU support services take money though, and March for Babies is the March of Dimes largest annual fundraiser.  In fact, walkers have raised 1.8 billion dollars since the walks began in 1970!

The walk in Denver is taking place on April 24th at 9am at Civic Center Park.  You can go here to find walk sites all around the country.  I hope you’ll consider forming your own team, or joining an existing team to help fund the goal of all babies being born healthy.  Hurry, because walks are coming up soon, but it is definitely NOT to late to sign up to March for Babies!

I’ve discussed our journey from disposables into cloth several times on this blog.  While cloth can definitely save money in the long run, it can be daunting to set aside enough cash to build a usable cloth diaper stash.  Deciding what you actually like and want/need to buy is a whole other issue!  It’s Earth Month though, and there is a lot going on in the cloth diapering community.

If you’re thinking about cloth diapering, you”ll definitely want to attend the Get Real – The Inside Poop on Cloth Diapers Twitter Party, hosted by The Real Diaper Association, Bamboo Bums Diapers, Diaper Daisy Modern Cloth Diapers, and The Eco Chic.  The party will be taking place on Twitter on Earth Day, April 22nd from 9-10pm EST, and party goers will be chatting about anything and everything cloth diaper related!

To join in the fun, all you have to do is RSVP here (don’t forget to tell them I sent you), follow the event sponsors on Twitter, and then join in on the 22nd by following the hashtag #GetRealDiapers.  Not only will you have fun and get a lot of great information, but you’ll have a chance to win amazing prizes, including a FLIP video camera, and one of several cloth diaper prize packs including:

Frugal Cloth Diapering Prize Pack*: 12 prefolds, 1 HH Sherpa fitted (medium), 1 contour diaper, 1 diaper cover, 2 diaper doublers, 1 wet bag, and 1 bag of Rockin’ Green Soap (Fresh Linen).  This prize pack is compliments of Snooty Booty Diapers, Sugar Dipes, Eden’s Baby, and Rockin’ Green Soap.
Modern Cloth Diaper/Cloth 101 Prize Pack*: 1 Bum Genius 3.0 one-size pocket diaper, 1 Bum Genius one-size organic AIO, 1 FuzziBunz one-size pocket diaper, 1 KatyDid one-size pocket diaper, 1 Bumwear one-size pocket diaper, 1 GroBaby one-size shell and insert, 2 GoodMama one-size fitteds, 1 WonderWrap one-size cover, 1 Thirsties Dou Diaper, 6 pack of Thirsties Fab Wipes, 1 dozen Sweet Camo wipes, 4oz. Thirsties Booty Luster, 1 PlanetWise pail liner, 1 PlanetWise wet bag, 1 bag Rockin’ Green Soap (Fresh Linen).  This prize pack is compliments of Sweet Camo Babytique and Rockin’ Green Soap.
Extreme Cloth Diaper Prize Pack*: 18 Smartipants one-size diapers with inserts, 18 cloth wipes, 1 wet bag, 2 pail liners, Kissaluvs wipes solution/spray, 1 bag Rockin’ Green Soap (Fresh Linen).  This prize pack is compliments of Diaper Shop and Rockin’ Green Soap.
*These prize packs are designed for the parent who is new to cloth diapering.  We will ask for ‘proof’ that you are not currently in cloth diapers full time for the winners of these prize packs.

Please join in for a fun time.  I’ll be back tomorrow to share more chances to learn about cloth diapering and build your stash!