Medicine and health websites in face of Health on the Net Foundation – HON ethical principles

Abstract

This study analyses a sample of 80 national and international websites that carry information about cerebrovascular diseases and myocardial infarct, classifying them as to their conformity to each of the eight principles for health sites set by the Health on the Net Foundation-HON: 1.
Of authority; 2. Of complementarity; 3. Of privacy; 4. Of attribution; 5. Of justification; 6. Of property transparency; 7. Of patronage transparency; 8. Of advertising editorial honesty and editorial policy. The study concludes that the analyzed websites do not conform to these eight Principles, considering also that to confront sites with the ethical principles stimulates the respectful coexistence of information technology and the health field.