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Over the last few decades, the internet has propelled the ‘Information Age’ into uncharted territory. We now have billions of web pages at our fingertips, all the free information we want, and the ability to communicate and share with people around the world. The internet offers people the chance to share anything they want, and to have more autonomy by getting information freely and easily. But we’ve also got to cope with things like information overload and untrustworthy websites. If you’ve been diagnosed with cancer, chances are you’ll go online at some point to find information. But it can be tricky to know whether the information you’re reading is reliable and accurate. |
Here at Macmillan, we know that information empowers people to understand their illness better and make informed treatment decisions. It also gives people a way to find further sources of support. So, while we want to encourage people to seek out information if this helps them, we also want to offer some tips to help you avoid incorrect, biased or even dangerous cancer information online.
All our information at Macmillan is written by experts in cancer care. And it’s all reviewed by both medical professionals and people affected by cancer. It is accredited with the Information Standard, which means it’s been through a rigorous review process. We also update our information every two and a half years to make sure it’s always up to date.
For information about cancer, visit macmillan.org.uk\cancerinformation. If you’re wondering about something specific, use the search function on the website. If you’d prefer a booklet or leaflet on a certain topic, visit be.macmillan – they are all free and will be delivered to you in just a few days. There are lots of cancer information audiobooks on be.macmillan too, and we can produce other audio, translated, Braille, or large print versions of our information on request.
If you want to look for information beyond Macmillan, it’s important to make sure it’s trustworthy. Here are some tips to help you:
If the field of health information is something you feel strongly about, you may want to visit the Patient Information Forum’s website. The Patient Information Forum is a membership organisation for professionals/organisations working in health information, but they have regular news updates on their website about health information today, why it’s important and what charities and organisations are doing in this area.
You can help Macmillan improve its cancer information by becoming a reviewer. This means you can comment on our booklets and leaflets to help us improve them. It’s something you can do from home, in your own time, as often as you like.
Although it is advisable to seek any medical information from reliable, professional sources, it is true that sometimes the best advice can come from people who’ve been there themselves. In Macmillan’s online community, you can share your experiences and get tips and advice from others who know what you’re going through. At other times however, you may be given incorrect, biased or sometimes down-right odd advice by friends or other people you meet! We’d like to ask you to share your experiences of being given good, bad or strange information about cancer. You can do this in the comments box below (you need to be logged in – if you still can't see the comment box, click on this blog's title at the top). |
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