Evaluating web sites: reliable child health resources for parents

This article describes a framework for evaluating the quality of health care information on the Internet and identifies strategies for accessing reliable child health resources. A number of methods are reviewed, including how to evaluate Web sites for quality using the Health Information Technology Institute evaluation criteria, how to identify trustworthy Web sites accredited by Health On the Net Foundation Code of Conduct, and the use of portals to access prescreened Web sites by organizations, such as the Medical Library Association. Pediatric nurses can use one or all of these strategies to develop a list of reliable Web sites as a supplement to patient and family teaching.