Description
Gesundheitsinformation.de is the health information site of IQWiG, the German institute that assesses the benefits and harms of medical treatments. It explains illnesses, examinations and treatments in plain language, based on the current evidence, across 21 topic areas from allergies and cancer to mental health and teeth.
Online since February 2006, it is free and carries no advertising. IQWiG, founded in 2004, belongs to a non-profit foundation and is funded by surcharges on treatments paid by the statutory health insurance; it accepts no sponsorship. Texts start from systematic reviews of studies, are checked by experts inside and outside the institute and by patients, and are tested by readers before they go online. Each shows the date of its last update. Many are also available in easy German and in sign language, and in English on the sister site informedhealth.org. IQWiG also writes for gesund.bund.de, the federal health ministry’s portal.
The site says clearly what is known and what is not, and gives no personal advice.
Strengths
- Independent and evidence-based: it sells nothing and takes no advertising or sponsorship.
- Explains the pros and cons of treatments, with decision aids.
- Plain language, easy German and sign language, with the date of each update.
Weaknesses
- It does not replace a doctor and gives no personal advice.
- Many questions stay unanswered where good studies are missing.
Who it is for
Anyone in Germany who wants to understand a diagnosis or prepare for a doctor’s appointment.
Sources
- Gesundheitsinformation.de: Home, Über uns, So arbeiten wir, Das IQWiG, Häufig gestellte Fragen, checked November 2026
- Wikipedia: Institut für Qualität und Wirtschaftlichkeit im Gesundheitswesen