Degree of Trustworthiness of the Healthy Consultation & Information via the Internet

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Is the healthy information over the Internet trustworthy or untrustworthy information? Is the quality of the online healthy information reliable quality or not? This paper presented the results of a survey conducted in the Pharmacy Department of the Alkafeel university college in Iraq. The survey was conducted at the beginning of summer 2017. It describes the points of views of a sample of students, their lecturers and workers at the Pharmacy Department. It is about the degree of the trustworthiness of the healthy information on the Internet. Whether, it is healthy consultation about a particular disease or healthy information about a particular drug. The results showed there is a relative awareness among the general public and they have almost an ability to distinguish the correct healthy information from the fault one found in the healthy websites, which signs are spread widely nowadays on the Internet network. However, they still consider the Internet as a means of only assistance and not entirely reliable in diagnosing the diseases. In addition, it has only the appropriate doses and the number of times of a particular drug, according to the participants in the survey. The Trustworthiness of such information depended on the affiliation of the manufacturing company if it is commercial or not or seeking after only the profits.