About 70 percent of households have Internet access and with the increasing use of smart phones, the Internet is becoming an even more popular source of medical information for parents. Parents and adolescents often use the Internet before contact with a physician. Sometimes information obtained online may be the only health care advice sought and used.

How accurate is this information? A study to be published in the Archives of Diseases of Children addresses this question. The authors of this study chose five health issues that reflect concerns often expressed to practicing clinicians and have clear answers supported by scientific evidence.

Two keywords were used to perform a Google search for each of the five questions. The first 100 websites cited for each question were assessed. As a result, less than 40 percent of the health information searched was judged to be correct and consistent with published recommendations. Eleven percent of sites gave incorrect information and 49 percent either did not answer the question or gave irrelevant information.

Which sites were more likely to give correct information? The study found that government websites, like www.CDC.gov, were the most accurate, followed by institutional sites, such as hospital sites. Sponsored sites, those that have paid a price to appear prominently on the search engine site, were most likely to offer incorrect information and most likely to have conflicts of interest, such as selling a product.

How should parents use the Internet to find accurate and useful information? I recommend accessing government websites and those associated with trusted institutions such as NACHRI, an organization that certifies children's hospitals. The American Academy of Pediatrics website (www.AAP.org) also offers excellent data-supported information that is accessible and easily understood.

How should parents discuss information found on the Internet with their child's pediatrician? Realize the difference between information, knowledge, and wisdom. Information is what you find and is subject to interpretation and bias. Knowledge is having the background of other information and experience that allows you to interpret the information they find. Wisdom is the ability to use information and knowledge to determine what is true and to act on it.

A pediatrician has the knowledge and wisdom to help you use the information that you find on the Internet. If you have specific questions about information you find, print it and take it with you. Your pediatrician should be open to discussing information you bring and should augment that information with facts based on additional knowledge and experience.

Ask your doctor for alternate sites to search or alternate sources of information. You also should be open to your pediatrician's opinions that are based on the wisdom obtained through training and experience. A pediatric medical home is a partnership between you, your child and your pediatrician — the Internet is just one tool used in this relationship.

Dr. Joseph Kahn is chairman of pediatrics at St. John's Mercy Children's Hospital. Visit stjohnsmercychildrenshospital.org.