April 5, 2016
The truth about WebMD, a hypochondriac's nightmare and Big Pharma's dream
WebMD is the most popular source of health information in the US, and is likely to dominate your Google search results for almost any medical question you have.
But is WebMD actually trustworthy?
IHPI member Sandeep Vijan thought WebMD's cholesterol treatments page was "oversimplified" and "often phrased in an overly frightening way." For example, WebMD suggests cholesterol is "precariously" high in 100 million Americans. "[Precariously] sounds terrifying, but they fail to note that, while [having high cholesterol]is not ideal, it's not the kind of thing that means you'll die tomorrow."
Vijan noted a range in the quality of the site's information. Some of it "may be fine for an initial introduction for patients," he said. "Hopefully doctors are using something a bit more scientific."
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