I couldn't ask for a more perfect article to coincide with my previous blog entry.
Millions going online to find cures for what ails them
By Nancy McVicar Health Writer
Posted May 18 2005

Not only does this article mention the Pew Report on Health Information Online, it touches a little bit on my question about how these millions of people evaluate the information.

Susannah Fox, who released the Pew Report is quoted in this article saying, "We found that most people did go to two or three Web sites, and spent about 30 minutes on a health information search. But about half were not looking at the source and date. That is a little scary because there are many examples of drugs that have been recalled or therapies that have been canceled, and they should really be aware of it."

She also mentioned only about 25% of the searchers were evaluating information using techniques recommended by the Medical Library Association.

At least we have a brief look at how users are evaluating (or not) online medical information. While the information Fox mentions in the article is not in the Pew Report on Health Information Online, I would love to see it officially released or studied further for a separate report.