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Health information should be helpful and made by people with good knowledge

Knowing who made health information and why they made it can help you check whether the information is true.
Who is it for?
People with intellectual disability
What is it about?
How to find and use good health information
Who made it?
National Centre of Excellence in Intellectual Disability Health
When was it made?
It was created
3 months ago
. It was shared here .

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About Easy Read

Easier words with pictures to help explain some ideas.

What is good health information

Five people of different backgrounds and abilities gathered around a table with a laptop.

It is important to get good health information.

Health information should tell you

  • Who made it
  • Why they made it

Here are questions you can ask to help you decide if you can trust health information.

  1. Was it made by people who know a lot about the topic?
  2. Was it made to help people?
  3. Who paid for it to be made and why?

Before you trust health information, it is a good idea to find out who made it and why.

Here are 2 questions you can ask to help you decide if you can trust health information.

Was it made by people who know a lot about the topic?

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Good health information comes from people and groups with good knowledge.  

You can tell who made health information by looking at the: 

  • people or organisations that wrote it 
  • names and logos  
  • internet address it has, if you find the information online. 

You can usually find who made a health resource by looking at the front page, back page or the website or video description. 

If you cannot find who made the information, it may not be good information. 

Australian governments

In Australia, health information from the Australian government and state and territory governments is likely to be true. 

Internet addresses that end in “.gov.au” are government websites.  

For example, here are the internet addresses of two government websites:  

Websites, facts sheets, books and other health resources that have government logos are also likely to be true. 

The Raising Children Network website has the logo of the Department of Social Services with the words “supported by” above it. 

A screenshot of the home page of the Raising Children Network website.

This means that the Department helped pay for the website. The information on the Raising Children website is likely to be true. 

Health and disability experts

Health information that comes from groups or people who are experts on the topic is likely to be true. 

For example, GPs, psychologists and other health professionals are good sources of health information.  

Good health information could be made by: 

  • a hospital 
  • doctors or health professionals who know a lot about a health condition 
  • people who know a lot about a disability 
  • researchers who have studied a topic. 

The resources made by Our Health Space are based on research and lived experience. The information in these resources is likely to be true. But you should always check if the information here is right for you.

Learn more about health information that is right for you.

Was it made to help?

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Some health information is made to help you. It explains facts clearly. It helps you understand your health and know what to do.  

Other health information may have a . Bias means that the information is unfair or one-sided.  

For example, information might be biased if it is trying to sell a product. It might make you feel like you must buy the product to: 

  • stop something bad or scary from happening 
  • solve a problem quickly and easily 
  • make something very good happen. 

Avoid health information that has a bias.  

Good information says: 

  • who paid to make it 
  • why it was made. 

This helps you decide how much to trust the information. 

Learn how to tell if health information is up to date and based on facts.

An illustration with a green tick in the centre of a magnifying glass.

This resource is part of a series

How to check if health information is good and right for you

Everyone needs health information that is good and meets their needs, but it can be hard to know what information you can trust. 

One of the ways you can get health information is from health resources. Health resources can be things like: 

  • fact sheets about a health problem 
  • guides that teach you how to do something good for your health 
  • videos that explain something about health 
  • apps that help you take care of your health. 

Researchers asked people with intellectual disability, family members and health professionals what makes health resources good to use. 

Together, they made a list to help people check health resources. 

Resource Quality and Checklist for People with Intellectual Disability and Their Supporters 

We have used ideas from the Checklist to write about how you can check if health information is good and right for you. In the links below, you will find examples and practical advice to help build your knowledge and skills.  

Often, the best information comes from a person who knows a lot about health and knows things about you too. For example, GPs and other health professionals give good health advice.  

The advice we give here should be helpful to most people, but it is not specific to you. Talk to a health professional if: 

  • you are worried about your health 
  • you can't decide if some health information is good and right for you. 

More in this series

This resource was made by