Dr. C. Everett Koop: Medical Content on the Internet

You may notice over the next few weeks that the media is exploring the credibility of healthcare information supplied via the Internet, as well as the lines drawn between advertising and editorial content. We at drkoop.com endorse this examination and heartily concur that the providers of healthcare information on Web sites have a profound responsibility to clearly delineate advertising from editorial, and to provide credible, unbiased information.

As a physician, it has always been my passion to be a crusader, as well as a pioneer. I applied these passions first as a pediatric surgeon, and later as Surgeon General. I take on difficult issues and problems regardless of the opinions of others.

Earlier in my career when parents of newborns with congenital defects came to me, I approached some medical problems that other physicians might have dismissed. I tried to do everything I could to help afflicted youngsters and it was because of this aggressive approach that I learned how best to look for solutions.

During my eight years as Surgeon General, fostering a public environment where people had greater access to trusted healthcare information was perhaps my central goal. For the most part, I advocated this approach so loudly that I gained a reputation for being an opinion leader on a variety of fronts and issues. Now, through my activity with drkoop.com, where the public has open access to tens of thousands of pages of reliable healthcare information, new, uncharted issues are rising up and I am again at the forefront of the discussion. I welcome the debate on the value of the Internet as a viable tool for educating the public, as well as the discussion over the creation of standards for editorial representation.

In short, I support any productive activity designed to better the environment where people gain access to accurate healthcare information.

The goal of drkoop.com is to provide accurate, reliable information and the needed tools to contribute to and enable a well-informed public. I’ve always said that knowledge is the best prescription!

Trust is at the very heart of the relationship between drkoop.com and the public. We have many world class sources for the information and the tools provided. You can find them within:

• Information partners
• Medical advisory board
• Authors and experts

It's important to note that because trust is so crucial, any information supplied to drkoop.com from the public remains private.

We have stringent rules governing the ethics of our site, including how advertising and editorial issues should be addressed.

This code was written by our Medical Advisory Board's Dr. Stanley Reiser and me. Dr. Reiser is a nationally and internationally known scholar and teacher in ethics, history and health policy. Dr. Reiser co-developed the first dedicated research and teaching program for medical ethics (the Harvard Interfaculty Program in Medical Ethics, 1970) and provided the world with the first anthology of original documents that became a basic text of the field ("Ethics in Medicine," 1977).

Finally, we have an interest in providing you with this information in the future. I am often asked, "Dr. Koop, you are 82 years old. Why did you start an Internet company and not just enjoy your retirement?" My answer: "Because I am here to make a difference. Providing information to the world is expensive, and we have to have a company able to raise the money to make sure that consumers have the information they need to take care of their health." Information on drkoop.com, Inc. can be found on our Investor Relations site

Providing consumers with credible, independent information is something I have worked toward all my life as a surgeon, surgeon general, the Elizabeth DeCamp McInerny Professor of Medical Ethics at Dartmouth's Medical School and as Chairman of the Board of drkoop.com. Today, it is the number one health news and information site on the Internet, according to several independent polls. I take great pride in my active participation in drkoop.com. We appreciate your support as we continue to provide the information and tools you need to take control of your own personal health and well-being.

The medical community and the media have always been concerned with how best to report medical information to the public. They should be. They are the sword and shield for the good of the whole. Just as the medical community has a responsibility to produce valuable, trusted information, the media has a responsibility to represent its findings and point of view in an objective and thorough manner. The public deserves nothing less.

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