Encourage your staff to surf themselves to better health with a roundup of the five best health and wellbeing websites.
With 79 per cent of UK adults turning to the internet for health advice, getting your employees to self-educate about good health through online tools is a great way to help them engage with their own wellbeing and can help them take control of their long-term health.
However, there’s lots of conflicting advice out there, which can leave many people confused and anxious. Here, we round up five of the best online health resources, and explain how to sort the fact from the fiction.
(1) NHS Choices
The online arm of the NHS offers a wealth of objective and trustworthy information, with guidance on all aspects of health and healthcare. There is an encyclopaedic archive of conditions and treatments that is easy to navigate, with anatomical drawings that break down gender, symptoms and specific body parts. The excellent healthy living section “Live Well” covers everything from nutrition and the effects of passive smoking to advice on good posture.
(2) Patient
The sheer depth of its health information and clinical knowledge summaries makes Patient a crucial first step for people looking to improve their health knowledge. Readers can sign up to MyHealth, which provides them with a free health check and creates a personalised 12-week plan. There are forums for people to discuss issues and concerns and links to many support groups and charity websites.
(3) UKHealthcentre
UK Health Centre was the first comprehensive health and medical online portal. This is an easy site to use and offers a wide range of information on various treatments such as acupuncture and osteopathy, as well as conditions including diabetes and fertility problems. It also offers an invaluable directory of health professionals, including GPs and dentists.
(4) Mind
The website for mental health charity Mind provides advice and support to those with mental health conditions. The “Helping Someone Else” section is a great tool for those who may not be suffering themselves, but want a better understanding of mental health conditions, with insightful guides to conditions including bipolar, loneliness, stress, panic attacks and OCD.
Bupa’s Health Information website offers a wealth of helpful content on all manner of health topics – from cancer to digestive health – all listed in an A-Z index. The site also features interactive tools, quizzes and apps to help users better look after their health and wellbeing.
When searching for health information online, it’s important that staff follow a few simple steps. First, check for sources outlining where the information is from. Second, check the date the webpage was last updated – health information shouldn’t be any more than three years old.
They should also keep an eye out for accreditation. There are various accreditation schemes that health websites can join, like The Information Standard, which means the information has had to undergo a rigorous review process. And finally, always seek professional medical advice. Online information is only there to complement medical care, not replace it.
Encouraging your employees to take control of their health and wellbeing could greatly improve morale and productivity in your business – and it’s never been easier to do.
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