The majority (79%) of adults use the internet for health advice and are finding conflicting information, a survey for Bupa has found.
More than four in five of those surveyed (84%) said they had found conflicting health information when looking for advice and information online, the survey of 2,087 adults by YouGov found.
The reactions to advice found online for 30% of those surveyed was confusion, while 20% felt frustrated and 14% concerned or anxious.
After searching online for advice and information, less than half, 41%, said they were likely to visit a medical professional after reading advice online.
A ‘quality mark' would be useful for 76% of those surveyed, however 73% were unaware of "The Information Standard" which provides a quality mark to reliable sources of information.
When asked what would make them trust a website, 44% said backing by the government (such as The Information Standard) 11% would trust a professional looking website and 9% a site appearing high in an internet search result.
Dan Wills, assessment and development manager at The Information Standard, said: "Across England, thousands of organisations produce health and care information for the public which varies greatly in terms of quality and reliability.
"With the use of smart phones and tablets we have large amounts of this information at our finger tips but how can you tell which information is trustworthy?
"The Information Standard is one method by which to check the information you are reading."
Dr Paula Franklin, medical director at Bupa UK, said: "It is hardly surprising that people are feeling confused and frustrated when looking for health advice online, given the amount of information out there.
"People want to know more about their health and wellbeing than ever before so it is essential that they know where to get trusted and clinically approved advice, and are aware of the risks of reading unqualified health information."
Further Reading:
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