General Health Information

This page provides links to reliable general health information websites. For more specific health resources, please consult our Health Topics page. Note that the information available on the Patient Resource Centre’s website is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to replace the advice or instruction of a professional healthcare practitioner or to substitute for medical care.

Dictionaries / Encyclopedias

CIHR Jargon Buster | Canadian Institutes of Health Research

What Did My Doctor Say? | Medical Library Association

Understanding Medical Words: A Tutorial from the National Library of Medicine | Medline Plus

Medical Encyclopedia | Medline Plus

Medical Dictionary | Merriam-Webster

Patient Encyclopaedia | Orphanet

Medical Dictionary | University Health Network

Plain Language Medical Dictionary | University of Michigan

Health News

Health | CBC News

Health | CNN

Health | Google News

News | MedlinePlus

Evaluating Health Information

Finding Health Information You Can Trust | McGill University Health Centre

Health Information on the Web: Finding Reliable Information | American Academy of Family Physicians

Evaluating the Credibility of Health Websites: Can You Trust Dr. Google? | Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health

How Do You Evaluate Health Information You Find on the Web? | Dalhousie University

How to Recognize a Reliable Source of Information on Health | Government of Quebec

Reliable Nutrition and Health Information Online | Hamilton Health Sciences Patient Education

Health Website Evaluation Tool | Health on the Net Foundation

Online Health Information Aid: Better Search. Better Use. Better Health. | McGill University

Authenticating Information | MediaSmarts: Canada’s Centre for Media and Digital Literacy

Finding and Evaluating Science and Health Information | MediaSmarts: Canada’s Centre for Media and Digital Literacy

Find Good Health Information | Medical Library Association

Evaluating Health Information | MedlinePlus (See also Medline Plus’s Tutorial and Short Guide on this topic)

Using Trusted Resources | National Cancer Institute

Finding and Evaluating Online Resources | National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health

Evaluating Health Websites | National Network of Libraries of Medicine

The DISCERN on the Internet Instrument | NHS Executive Research and Development Programme

Testing Treatments Interactive: Promoting Critical Thinking About Treatment Claims | NHS National Institute for Health Research

Understanding Research | Quebec Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR) Support Unit

Understanding Health Research : A Tool for Making Sense of Health Studies | Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow

Trust It or Trash It: A Tool to Help You Think Critically about the Quality of Health Information | Trust It or Trash It

Evaluating Health Information | University of California San Francisco Medical Center


You may also consult our list of resources in French.

Page Last Updated: July 5, 2021
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