Using the Internet to Aid in Health Reporting

Barbara Gastel, MD, MPHTexas A&M University

Health Reporting Workshop for Health Professionals and Journalists

Accra, Ghana, November 2011

Welcome!

Some Notes on My Presentations

• Starting points for discussion• Intended to be interactive—so please share

your knowledge, ask questions, and so forth• Reflect a largely US perspective; please adapt

the content to suit the situation in Ghana

Overview

• Common applications of the Internet in health reporting: World Wide Web, e-mail

• Guidelines: using the Web in gathering information for health stories

• Some websites providing useful information on health topics

• Some other helpful websites for health reporters

• Tips for using e-mail effectively

Guidelines: Using the Web to Gather Information on Health Topics

• In general, use only websites from reputable sources (for example, government health agencies, health-related NGOs, professional associations, major hospitals and clinics, universities).

• Be aware that some groups with biased websites have names similar to those of reputable sources.

• Especially if a site is questionable, check material for consistency with that from reputable sources.

Guidelines (continued)

• Check the date of the material.• Look for visual as well as written materials.

But be aware of permission requirements and copyright issues.

• Beware of cutting and pasting.• Do not limit yourself to what is on the Web.

Also consult other materials and do interviews.

Some Websites Leading to Good Information on Many Health Topics

• MedlinePlus (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/) – From the US National Institutes of Health– Has links to high-quality materials from many sources– Includes a medical dictionary

• CAPHIS Top 100 List: Health Websites You Can Trust (http://www.caphis.mlanet.org/consumer/) – Sites recommended by the Medical Library Association

• World Health Organization Website (http://www.who.int/en/, http://www.who.int/fr/index.html, etc)

Some Websites Leading to Good Information on Many Health Topics (cont)• The Merck Manuals (http://www.merckmanuals.com/) – Information on human and veterinary medicine

• EurekAlert! (http://www.eurekalert.org/ )– Links to news releases from many institutions

• PubMed (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/) – For identifying articles that have been published in

journals• Websites of medical journals– Some include openly accessible articles– Some have material for the media or the public

Some Other Entities with Websites Helpful in Health Reporting

• Some Health-Related Associations• Associations for Health Reporters or Science Reporters– Association of Health Care Journalists

(http://www.healthjournalism.org/) – National Association of Science Writers

(http://www.nasw.org/) – Relevant Associations in Africa

• AuthorAID (http://www.authoraid.info/) • Other• (Note: Health professionals may find it useful to

suggest to reporters some of the sites mentioned.)

Tips for Using E-Mail Effectively

• As a journalist, use e-mail to schedule interviews, request materials, make brief inquiries, etc. In general, do not do major interviews by e-mail.

• As a health professional, use e-mail especially to provide background information before interviews.

• Use the BCC feature if it is inappropriate or irrelevant for recipients to know one another’s identities.

Using E-Mail Effectively (cont)

• Use an informative subject line.• For readability, keep paragraphs short.• If items are lengthy, generally provide them as

attachments.• Remember that e-mail isn’t private.• Other

Discussion

Thank you!