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This 2010 guide to appraising health information is about assessing the quality of information, and the processes used to develop it. The guide is for people and organisations that produce health information for patients and the public.  It can be used by any size of organisation, in any sector. The Guide is currently available as an interactive PDF, printed copies will be available soon.

The guide is split into a number of chapters that provide a comprehensive look at the subject:

Chapter One puts quality and appraisal into context, exploring why quality is important and what it means in the world of consumer health information. There is information about the benefits of high quality information, for both users and producers, and some of the background that explains why quality has become a more prominent issue. Finally there is a look at general methods of appraisal. 

Chapter Two explores the appraisal of the processes used to develop consumer health information. This includes a broad look at tools that assess information development processes, the requirements of appraisal in the NHS and the Information Standard scheme that operates in England.

Chapter Three is about the tools available to information producers to help them appraise individual information resources. This includes tools for printed and online information, award schemes, guidelines and readability tools.

Chapter Four looks at appraisal for information users and explores the challenges of finding quality information, including searching the Internet. Tools for users are discussed, as are the pros and cons of using them.

Finally, there are four appendices that contain information on background subjects such as policy, the development of appraisal and other important schemes.

Click here to download the guide.

If you would like to order printed copies of the guide, click here to download an order form.