Curation of health information:

1. My go-to for most health inquiries is a google or google scholar search. Depending on the topic, I may also search CBC News (screen for articles/reports) or Reddit for more personal specific information. For example, I found Reddit was a valuable platform for connecting with fellow low back disc injury and sciatica sufferers, where helpful resources and articles were shared. For work-related mental health information, I often refer to the Canadian Mental Health Association, National Institute of Mental Health, and the Alzheimer Society of Canada.

2. I try to focus on credible sites which I believe provide accurate information. These tend to be government sites (TPH, WHO, CDC) or peer reviewed articles from PubMed and other reputable sources such as Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Harvard Health etc. Once I find general information I tend to dig deeper into my search and rely on recently published, peer reviewed, academic journal articles. I’m confident in my ability to find accurate information as I tend to source information from a variety of resources. I’m keen to hear and learn from others on their process for finding accurate information.

3. Upon reflection, I could improve how I save information and resources. I tend to rely on the web as a vault for storing information indefinitely! This has backfired from time to time. My current strategy is to either bookmark/add to favourites or email myself the URL or PDF. The drawback is an accumulation of emails, which I eventually delete. Professionally, however, I’m more intentional and have sub-folders for various mental health and wellness topics, but this could still be further organized for easier retrieval.

4. I do not use a specific tool for accessing health information. I appreciate the spreadsheet Jessica posted for ‘Resource Collection’. Although onerous to develop, it appears to consolidate information in an organized, easy to access spreadsheet. Thank you, Jessica, for this example. I really hope to gain a better understanding of how others are using platforms to curate health information.