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Trust It or Trash It?

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Evaluating Information Quality

Partners

The Trust It or Trash It? tool is part of the Access to Credible Genetics (ATCG) Resource Network.  Genetic Alliance is the lead agency in this 5-year effort funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  The other partners in this effort are FRAXA Research Foundation, Gene Tests/Gene Clinics, National Coalition for Health Professional Education in Genetics,National Council of La Raza,National Fragile X Foundation,Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy, and University of Maryland School of Medicine.

Trust It or Trash It?

ToT Public

The Trust It or Trash It? tool was developed to help individuals weigh the quality of health information they find on the web and in print for the purpose of supporting informed decision making.  Trust It or Trash It? is a free online tool that serves two purposes: to encourage critical thinking as people encounter health information and to add to the existing volume of high quality genetics materials. There are two versions of the tool, one for people who are developing educational materials and one for people assessing the quality and completeness of health information.

The version for judging the quality of health information (www.trustortrash.org) starts with three basic questions: Who said it? When did they say it? How did they know? These questions help the reader think about the information critically. The second version, for developers, provides additional guidance for choosing appropriate content and effectively presenting information (www.trustortrash.org/developer).

 

The Trust It or Trash It? tool is now available for purchase as a “widget”, administered through Genetic Alliance. Organizations can place a button on their websites that expands into the Trust It or Trash It? tool when the user clicks on it. The tool will then stay open along the bottom of a user’s screen as the individual reads through materials on that site, so users can evaluate the information as they read.  The widget gives users the ability to simultaneously open a website and the tools to evaluate the information on the site.  There is a cost for organizations to put the widget on their site but no cost to the users.

Access to Credible Genetics Resource Network (ATCG)

This five-year project (2005-2010) strives to increase access to scientifically accurate information about single gene conditions by providing tools to help families and health providers develop and assess educational materials.  The model was developed for use with education related to Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy (DBMD) and Fragile X syndrome (FXS) but can be applied to other rare genetic conditions.  During the course of the project, the Resource Network's accomplishments include the following:

  • Map the partners' network of dissemination and communication
  • Develop two versions of the Trust It or Trash It? tool, to help people assess and develop quality information
  • Translate both versions of Trust It or Trash It? into Spanish
  • Develop a Trust It or Trash It? widget that allows for simultaneous review and assessment of electronic materials
  • Develop new and revise existing educational materials for DBMD and FXS based on the components of Trust It or Trash It?
  • Convene a national meeting to discuss quality information
  • Disseminate information about ATCG-RN and, specifically, Trust It or Trash It? to a large variety of audiences

For more information about ATCG-RN, visit the dedicated Genetic Alliance website.

ATCG-RN is supported by cooperative agreement # 5U10DD525036-05 with the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The content of this webpage is solely the responsibility of NCHPEG and does not necessarily represent the official views of CDC.