Realizing the potential of the internet for health and medical information

The latest advances in information technologies have allowed for the development of applications that have had tremendous repercussions in the healthcare field. Along with access, means must be provided to ensure that information is trustworthy and relevant. This article examines some of the problems arising from unprecedented access to vast quantities of health information made possible by the Internet. The role of search engines is explored and some of their associated problems are mentioned. We then presents the most mature of these initiatives to protect the Internet citizen, the HONcode, developed by the Health On the Net Foundation. Finally, we conclude on the concrete result of the Health On the Net Foundation initiatives since 1997.