The National Library of Medicine (http://www.nlm.nih.gov) provides a great deal of information for health consumers. A sampling includes: MedlinePlus (http://medlineplus.gov/), and MedlinePlus en Español
(http://medlineplus.gov/spanish/),
one of the best consumer health sites there is. MedlinePlus brings together authoritative information from the National Library of Medicine, the National Institutes of Health, and other governmental agencies and health-related organizations. It has extensive information about drugs, an illustrated medical encyclopedia, interactive patient tutorials, and the latest health news. You can also link to a MedlinePlus Tour, http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tour/tour.html.
Others: Consumer Health Library Directory (http://nnlm.gov/hip/chdir/); Easy-to-Read Health and Medical Sites (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/easytoread/all_easytoread.html); NLM Guide to Finding Health Information (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/services/guide.html); National Library of Medicine Health Information (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/hinfo.html); DIRLINE (http://dirline.nlm.nih.gov/); Genetics Home Reference (http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/);
PubMed (http://pubmed.gov); and PubMed Central (http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/), an online repository of biomedical information, and a subset of PubMed.
http://www.cancer.org/
http://healthyfamilies.ca.gov/
California HealthCare Foundation
http://www.chcf.org/
http://clinicaltrials.gov/
http://www.drugdigest.org/
http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/
http://labtestsonline.org/
http://www.cancer.gov/
National Center for Complementary &
Alternative Medicine
http://nccam.nih.gov/
National Network of
Libraries of Medicine, PSR, Regional Information for California
http://nnlm.gov/psr/about/region/california.html
NN/LM Resources for Multi-Lingual
Health Information
http://nnlm.gov/train/chi/multi.html
http://nihseniorhealth.gov/
http://toxtown.nlm.nih.gov/
University of Pennsylvania’s Oncolink
http://www.oncolink.org/
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
http://www.ahcpr.gov/consumer/
Includes extensive information, such as consumer versions of clinical practice guidelines, information on diseases and Be an Active Health Care Consumer (http://www.ahrq.gov/path/beactive.htm) with information on getting safer, higher quality care), and 20 Tips to Help Prevent Medical Errors (http://www.ahcpr.gov/consumer/20tips.htm).
Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC)
http://www.cdc.gov/
From CDC, Department of Health & Human Services. Also includes a page on Travelers’ Health (http://www.cdc.gov/travel/).
Choosing & Using a Health Plan
http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/hlthpln1.htm
http://www.healthfinder.gov/
Healthfinder is a
resource for finding the best government and nonprofit health and human
services information on the Internet.
It also links to over 1,700 health-related organizations. Includes Healthfinder Just for You
(http://healthfinder.gov/justforyou/) with sections in Spanish and for
individual ethnic and age groups.
Just the Facts - FDA Information Sheets
http://www.fda.gov/opacom/factsheets/justthefacts/default.htm
Information sheets on
drugs, foods, medical devices and more.
Also includes a section containing easy-to-read information in English
and Spanish.
http://www.myhealthevet.va.gov/
VA's health portal
developed for veterans and their families to provide them with information and
tools in support of veteran health.
National Institutes of Health, Health Information
http://health.nih.gov/
Links to various NIH sites,
providing information for a variety of health conditions.
Pacific Southwest Regional Medical Library Consumer Health Information Services
http://nnlm.gov/psr/consumer/
Includes both information for consumers and links for librarians providing health
information to the general public.
California Cancer Detection Section
http://www.dhs.cahwnet.gov/cancerdetection/
California provides free cancer screening and/or treatment for some types of cancer. Information and resources are available from this site for breast, cervical, and prostate cancer screening and treatment for low income people.
California Department of Health Services
http://www.dhs.cahwnet.gov/home/hsites/
Includes links to
California city and county health organizations, phone numbers for local health
departments, and links to minority health sites.
California, Health & Vital Statistics
http://countingcalifornia.cdlib.org/subj/s13.html
California
statistical health data is available: births and deaths; hospitals &
hospital beds; physicians; information on California Rehabilitation Center
programs & California State Hospital; county mental health programs; number
of nursing homes, beds & residents.
Division of Workers
Compensation
http://www.dir.ca.gov/DWC/dwc_home_page.htm
http://www.calmedicare.org/
http://www.dhs.ca.gov/health-e-app/
An
online enrollment site where low-income children and pregnant women may enroll
in public health, vision & dental insurance programs. Available in English and Spanish.
http://www.healthscope.org/
A public information
source to help select California health plans, hospitals, doctors and medical
groups.
http://www.jr2.ox.ac.uk/bandolier/booth/booths/altmed.html
Evidence-based information on complementary and alternative therapies.
Sloan-Kettering About Herbs, Botanicals and Other Products http://www.mskcc.org/aboutherbs/
This site provides information for healthcare professionals, but a consumer version of each monograph is also available to help deal with confusing claims made for over-the-counter products and regimens. Site is continually updated as new information becomes available.
Drug
Resources
Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs
http://www.crbestbuydrugs.org/
Partnership for Prescription Assistance
https://www.pparx.org/
A partnership among doctors, health care providers, patient advocacy organizations, community groups & pharmaceutical companies to help qualifying patients who lack prescription coverage to find discounted or free drug programs through public or private programs.
General
Health Resources
http://familydoctor.org/
From the American Academy of Family Physicians, contains health conditions A-Z
in English and Spanish. There is
additional information for specific groups.
http://www.hon.ch/
A gateway site that includes a
search tool, in-depth reports, news, and an image search.
NOAH: New York Online Access to Health
http://www.noah-health.org/
NOAH provides access to consumer health information in English and Spanish. Links are selected and organized by librarians and health professionals.
Minority
and Multilingual Health
[sites
not included in the NN/LM multilingual web page]
http://asianamericanhealth.nlm.nih.gov/
A portal site, created
by the National Library of Medicine, related to health of Asian Americans. Includes census information, links to
several publications, and more.
Black Women’s Health Imperative
http://www.blackwomenshealth.org/
An African-American institution devoted to education, research, advocacy and leadership development, this project promotes empowerment of African-American women as educated health care consumers.
http://www.ihs.gov/
Multilingual Health Education Network
http://www.multilingual-health-education.net
National Center for Farmworker Health
Seniors,
Kids, Men, Women
http://www.healthcompass.org/
Provides guidance on
how to find information on health & aging, how to evaluate it, and how to
use information to make informed decisions about health.
Center for Disease Control & Prevention Women’s and Men’s Health Resources
http://www.cdc.gov/health/womensmenu.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/health/mens_health.htm
Articles, recommendations, bibliographic resources on a variety of men’s and women’s health topics. Information also available in Spanish.
National Women’s Health Information Center
http://www.4woman.gov/
Contains browsable
database and several special sections on topic areas such as heart disease,
disabilities, body image, HIV/AIDS and pregnancy. Also in Chinese & Spanish.
http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu
Alice! Answers questions about relationships; sexuality; sexual health; emotional health; fitness; nutrition; alcohol, nicotine, and other drugs; and general health. Its target group is teens and college-aged young adults, but information for other age groups is commonly provided.
Separate sections for
kids, teens & parents. Aim is to
provide families with accurate, up-to-date, and jargon-free health information.
Sensitive Topics
http://aidsinfo.nih.gov/
http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/Publications/PamphletsBrochuresPosters/
Easy-to-read information in English & Spanish from the National Institute on Alcohol
Abuse & Alcoholism. Referral information.
CDC Sexually Transmitted Diseases Information
http://www.cdc.gov/nchstp/dstd/disease_info.htm
National Institute of Mental Health
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/index.cfm
Other Resources
Consumer’s Toolkit for Health Care Advance Planning
http://www.abanet.org/aging/toolkit/
Provided by the American Bar Association, this site provides guidelines for health care advance planning in line with individual wishes and values, and for communication with decision-makers.
http://www.mlanet.org/resources/medspeak/index.html
This brochure, developed by the Medical Library
Association, helps to translate common "medspeak" terms. It also includes
some tips on how to identify quality health care information on the Internet.
http://library.uchc.edu/departm/hnet/guidelines.html
http://informationrx.org/
Free MedlinePlus promotional materials for your library.
Medical Library Association Resources for Health Consumers
http://www.mlanet.org/resources/consumr_index.html
A gateway site with a directory that can be searched by state, subjects or keywords
http://www.merck.com/mrkshared/mmanual_home2/home.jsp
A consumer guide covering all the subjects found in a textbook of medicine as well as detailed information on children’s/women’s/men’s health, mental health, accidents and injuries, travel information, decision-making, and more. Also published in Spanish at
http://www.msd.es/publicaciones/mmerck_hogar/; and Merck Manual of Health & Aging, http://www.merck.com/pubs/mmanual_ha/contents.html.
Physical Activity & Weight Control
http://win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/physical.htm
A national service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health, WIN provides science-based health information on weight control, obesity, physical activity, and related nutritional issues.
See No Evil: How Internet Filters Affect the Search for Online Health Information
http://www.kff.org/entmedia/20021210a-index.cfm
Prescription for Success: Consumer Health Information on theWeb, December 2005-April 2006. This material has been adapted by Bette Anton for the Infopeople Project [infopeople.org], supported by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian and funded by the National Library of Medicine under contract no. N01-LM-1-3517 with the NN/LM Pacific Southwest Region, UCLA Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library. Any use of this material should credit the author and funding source.