How do I find accurate, relevant, and timely health statistics?
Answer
To find health statistics from governments, foundations, and other organizations:
- Clarify the question(s) you want to answer and the information required to answer your question(s)
- Decide which keywords may lead to the answers to your questions
- Identify organizations that collect and/or produce the type of information you are looking for (one source for identifying organizations is MedlinePlus: Organizations [alphabetical or by topic])
- Determine the following for the organizations you have identified:
- why they collect/produce statistics
- what their credentials are for collecting/producing statistics
- how and how often they collect/produce statistics
- Confirm information that you find in another independent resource, preferably a primary source