OT: Beware Web search engines for health info

January 1, 2008

Online search may risk health

By Darren Osborne December 31, 2007 12:00am

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AUSTRALIAN research has found that people searching the internet only

take in what they want to read, potentially placing their health at

risk.

The research, conducted at the University of NSW (UNSW), found that

people are inclined to maintain their beliefs, even if they find

contrary information.

" Our research shows that, even if search engines do find the 'right'

information, people may still draw the wrong conclusions - in other

words, their conclusions are biased, " UNSW Professor Enrico Coiera,

said.

The results, which have been published in the Journal of the American

Medical Informatics Association, also revealed that where the

information appears in search results, and how much time a person spends

looking at it, affects how people perceive it.

" The first or the last document the user sees has a much greater impact

on their decisions, " Professor Coiera said.

The implications are significant, particularly as more people search for

answers to their health questions on the internet.

" We know that the web is increasingly being used by people to help them

make healthcare decisions, " Professor Coiera said.

" There can be negative consequences if people find the wrong

information, especially as people in some countries can now

self-medicate by ordering drugs online.

" Australians can order complementary medicines online and these can

interfere with other medications. This means that providing people with

the right information on its own may not be enough. "

To help people make sense of the information which they are presented

with, Professor Coiera and Dr Annie Lau have developed a new search

engine interface that they believe breaks down cognitive biases.

" The new search engine interface we have designed could be a part of any

search engine and allows people to organise the information they find,

and as a result organise their thoughts better, " he said.

" Often by going through things in a slightly more organised way it

becomes pretty obvious what the answer really should be. "

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