Online resources in pediatrics.

QUESTION: In the past few years, parents of children seen in my clinic are frequently conducting online searches relating to medical questions. How reliable are online resources in pediatrics and what guidance can I provide parents when searching online about their children's health? ANSWER: The use of the Internet to gather medical information has increased dramatically over the past decade, including in the field of pediatrics. The enormous amount of information is confusing to parents and providers alike, and general search engines have not done enough to distinguish reliable from biased information. Physicians can develop websites with reliable content, advise parents on how to identify reliable sources of information, and give examples of websites to review child health-related topics. Copyright© the College of Family Physicians of Canada.