Online Resources for Parents

Navigating the sheer volume of online health information can be a huge challenge. Whether you’re trying to evaluate symptoms, wondering whether you should take your child to the doctor, researching treatments, or just curious about a topic, it can be hard to separate the valuable information from the mass of misinformation and commercially-driven propaganda.

I will give some tips and specific sites below, but first a few basic considerations.

• It’s fine to use online resources. You are in charge of your child’s health, and we are your consultants. Sometimes parents apologize to me, “I know I shouldn’t have been Googling, but ….” I have nothing against that; it can be useful. On at least a couple of occasions, parents have brought to my attention correct diagnoses I would have not considered otherwise, and I welcome their efforts and ideas.
• We’ve all experienced the way online information has become polarized and compartmentalized. Remember that a great many sites are more interested in selling something, whether a product or an idea, than they are in providing a balanced view. 
• Your provider is just a phone call or portal message away. If you have a concern about a diagnosis, an idea for therapy, or an unanswered question, be sure to include us in your fact-finding process. That’s doubly true if you’re worried about something: there is no point in going for weeks with some concern if we can help you resolve it earlier. We can also point you toward high quality information.
• We have triage nurses available during the day and after hours to help you decide if the concern would be best addressed with an office visit.

Primary, General Sources

A number of sites offer great information and advice for the most common issues in development,  child and adolescent health, and parenting. These tend to be associated with large health and professional organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and teaching and research hospitals. 

Two sites are among my favorites and good places to browse for your own education and not just for answering questions. Nemours Kids Health includes separate sections aimed at parents, kids, and adolescents. When I’m looking for a good handout for a topic, this is usually where I go first. If your kids have questions about health, it wouldn’t hurt to let them check the kids pages that address topics from  colds and eczema to “Hey! A Scorpion Stung Me!”

The American Academy of Pediatrics provides HealthyChildren.org as another comprehensive resource. It includes 40 topics just in the area of babies 0-3 months of age and goes all the way up to the young adult age range. Both Kids Health and HealthyChildren are solid, well-designed, reliable resources.

Another site, though one I’m less familiar with, is Aetna’s Healthwise. It includes information for all life stages, not just children. 

Specialized Topics

There are thousands of sites concerned with specialized topics if you want to go beyond what is covered above. DermNet is more oriented toward professionals but offers an extensive list of skin conditions with good quality photos. Naturally, while it’s a good source of information, you should be cautious about making a diagnosis on your own. CHADD, ADDitude, and ADDA are good resources for ADHD. UpToDate is a resource with detailed information for healthcare providers and handouts for patients, but it is a paid site. If you would like to get their handout on a topic, we might be able to send you a free link for it. 

As a general rule, look for sites in the .org, .edu, and .gov domains as they might be more objective and less likely to be pushing a narrow agenda. But if you’re at the point of trying to find information and are not confident about sources, it’s probably time for a visit with your provider

Dr. Blyth was born and raised in Southern California. Before attending medical school at UC San Diego, he studied marriage, family, and child counseling. After his pediatric residency at UCLA, he traveled with his family to Nigeria where he spent over 20 years as a hospital pediatrician, community health consultant, and IT specialist. More recently, he practiced at Bakersfield Pediatrics in central California before moving to Virginia to be closer to his kids and grandkids. He and his wife Barbara enjoy reading, board games, and family activities.