Where to start
If you are feeling unwell then it is best to talk to a healthcare professional. This could be your GP, hospital team or NHS 111.
Online information is helpful. But it does not know about everything that can affect your condition. Like your medical history or age. So it can be a guide. But it cannot give personal advice in the way that your doctor can.
You can ask your doctor if they recommend any online information for your condition.
Useful websites:
- The British Liver Trust and Liver Cancer UK
- Our information is made alongside patients. It is reviewed by specialist healthcare professionals and is written specifically for people with a liver condition.
- nhs.uk
- The NHS has a lot of very good online information. Look for websites whose address ends in .nhs.uk
Online searches
Google and other search engines are very good at finding information. But the top of the results page is usually an AI overview. Search result pages might also have adverts. So the suggestions at the top might be there because they have been paid for or picked by AI. Not because they are the best option for you.
Scroll down through your search results to find the best sources of information for you. Use the questions at the end of this page to check them.
AI
AI can be helpful for many things. One of these is looking for information online. But there are some important things to know before using it to get information about your health.
Types of AI:
AI chatbots (such as ChatGPT)
Sites like ChatGPT let you have a conversation with an AI assistant. Exactly how you ask your question will make a big difference to the answer you get. You can tell them how detailed you want the answers to be or what style you would like them in.
AI chatbots do not normally tell you where they got their information. They might not be looking at the whole internet. Instead they might be “trained” on a set of information they were given.
There are concerns that some AI chatbots might record and use the information you give them in your questions.
AI overviews
AI overviews appear automatically at the top of the results page when you do a search on a site like Google.
They are a quick summary of the search results rather than a detailed answer. They give links you can click on to find out more.
Problems with AI for health information
Most AI systems look at a huge amount of information and then try to give you the information you want from it.
There are some problems with this:
- If the information an AI is looking at is wrong or out of date then the answers it gives you will also be wrong.
- If the information it is looking at is biased, then the answer will have the same bias. For example, if most of the available information for a condition is about men and is not right for women.
- AI can misunderstand the information it is looking at and give you the wrong answer.
- AI can make up information. This is called an AI hallucination. This made-up information looks very convincing. There is usually no way to check where it came from.
There are a range of extra problems that have been found when AI is used for health information:
- The information is usually quite general and not right for a lot of people.
- Information is often taken from websites in countries with very different health care systems. Or where conditions are treated differently.
- Even when the AI gives links, it can be unclear where it got some of its information from.
- AI results often do not give links to UK organisations who can offer further information or support.
For example, we searched for information about liver blood test results in Google. The AI overview gave us information that looked like it was very helpful for everyone having that test. But it was only definitely correct for men who had the test at a particular hospital in the USA.
Can I safely use an AI for health information?
It is very important not to make any decisions about your health based just on information from AI.
But it can be a helpful quick starting point. After your question:
For AI overviews:
- Check any sites linked to using the questions below.
- Read the full information on the website linked to.
- Scroll down and look for search results from UK websites. These might be more helpful for you than the ones linked to by the AI.
For AI chatbots:
- Ask for links to UK websites with more information
- Get a quick, simple explanation of medical words. For example you could ask: “explain this to me like I am 10, what is portal hypertension?”
- Ask for a short bullet point summary of the information the AI gives you. This can help you decide what questions to ask at your next medical appointment.
Remember, everyone is different. The AI does not know you or the other things that may be affecting your health. If you have any worries, always talk to your GP or liver medical team for personal advice.
Social media and online groups
Social media and online groups can be a great way to connect with other people in a similar situation. But everyone’s experience of liver disease will be a bit different. So do not get information about health, diet, or treatments from strangers online. The advice they give might be working well for them. But it might not be right, or even safe, for you.
Questions to ask
If you are looking for information online and you are not sure if you can trust a website, try asking these questions. You can click on them to find out more.
Why did they write it?
Is this information trying to sell me something?
Organisations like the NHS, The British Liver Trust, and other major UK health charities create information to help people.
But some websites that look like health information are set up to try to sell you something. This might be a product like a supplement or a service.
Check the “about us” section of the website. This can help you see who has created the information and if they are also looking to make money through it.
Look out for:
Sometimes large companies set up organisations that give health information. These organisations might not actually sell anything themselves. Their sites might have good information.
But even very well-intentioned companies need to make money. So they will try to show their products in the best possible light. And might not give you full information about risks or other options.
Where was it made?
Medical care is different around the world. So look for information that was made in the UK.
When was it made?
Research into health conditions is going on all the time. Treatment guidelines are updated regularly, particularly for more common conditions. So it is important to look for information that is up to date.
Look out for:
Most reliable health information websites will put a publication date at the end of a page. Look for pages that were written or reviewed within the last 5 years.
Is this information right for me?
Even accurate health information is not always right for everyone.
For example:
- General diet information might not be right for you if you have a serious liver condition.
- A standard treatment could be risky if you also take medicines for another condition.
- People with a liver condition are more at risk of serious side effects from some supplements and alternative medicines.
If you have a liver condition you should always check with your medical team before making any changes to your treatments or diet.
Look out for:
Health advice must be practical for you. If it is not, then you are unlikely to be able to stick with it.
For example, it you are suffering from fatigue then you are probably not going to be able to take on a demanding daily exercise routine.
Look for changes that seem realistic and try one at a time. If that one becomes a habit, then you can try adding another. It might take a while, but you will be heading in the right direction.
Special thanks
We would like to thank Shona McFadyen, a member of our patient advisory group, for her help with reviewing this page.
Published : March 2024
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