Web
Resources
Health Care
How can you tell what information is good information online?
Always remember to RECAP:- Relevance: Is the information relevant to your specific need?
- Expertise: Who is the author of the site? What are his or her qualifications? Authors can be individuals, corporations, organizations, or governments. Every website should have an “About Us” section where you can find information on who is responsible for the site.
- Currency: When was the site last updated? Is the information current?
- Accuracy: Is the information factual? Does the website cite what sources its information is from?
- Purpose: Why is the website there? Does the website have a bias?
Diseases and Medical Information
Medline Plus
http://medlineplus.gov/
A fully searchable free site provided by the National Library of Medicine and the National Institute of Health that features a medical encyclopedia, a medical dictionary, drug information, and links to research and advocacy sites, all organized by health topic.
PubMed/Nat’l Library of Medicine
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PubMed/
This site is a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine that offers access to over 18 million citations from MEDLINE and other life science journals for biomedical articles back to the 1950s. PubMed (see below) includes links to full text articles and other related resources. (You can also find information on nucleotides, proteins, genomes, and molecular structures by accessing the databases listed across the top of the screen.)
PubMed Central
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/
PubMed Central is a free digital archive of biomedical and life sciences journal literature from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). THE place to find medical and life sciences research.
Mayo Clinic
http://www.mayoclinic.com/
The world-famous Mayo Clinic’s website has a range of medical and drug information, as well as a symptom-checker and a “treatment guide”, which describe the advantages and disadvantages of courses of treatment for various ailments.
BioMed Central
http://www.biomedcentral.com/home/
This resource publishes more than 140 open access journals covering all areas of biology and medicine. Most of its publications are freely available to the public, although some require a paid subscription. Included are journals on nutrition, public and international health.
Healthfinder.gov Health Library
http://www.healthfinder.gov/library/
A searchable directory of more than 1,500 reliable consumer health information sites collected by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, including links to information on Alternative Medicine and Prevention & Wellness. Available in Spanish.
Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy
http://www.merck.com/mrkshared/mmanual/sections.jsp.
A free online medical library, searchable by keyword or the table of contents. Merck also offers two other complete manuals through this site: The Merck Manual of Geriatrics and The Merck Manual of Health & Aging.
Women's Health
Medline Plus: Women's Health Issues
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/womenshealthissues.html
News, research, reference information, and organizations related to women’s health. Provided by the National Library of Medicine and the National Institute of Health.
National Women's Health Information Center
http://www.4woman.gov/
This website (run by the Office of Women’s Health in the U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services) offers a search engine for reliable information on women’s health issues from 1,800 organizations and 4,300 publication resources. Information on all major women’s health concerns, prevention, and women’s health news and events is included. Check out Quick Health Data Online for health statistics.
National Women's Health Resource Center
http://www.healthywomen.org/
This website offers information on health topics from Acupuncture to Yoga, Alzheimer’s to Yeast Infections, in a highly usable form. Each information page has lists of symptoms, treatments, facts, key questions to ask your health care provider, and links to books, websites, and organizations on the topic.
CDC Women's Health Topics
http://www.cdc.gov/women/
Provides an A to Z listing of topics in Women’s Health, including information from CDC publications.
Society for Women's Health Research
http://www.womenshealthresearch.org/
The Society for Women's Health Research is a non-profit organization whose mission is “to improve the health of all women through research, education and advocacy,” particularly on health issues that affect women disproportionately. The site features information for consumers, health professionals, and researchers.
Children's Health and Pediatrics
MedlinePlus Child Development
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/childdevelopment.html
News, research, reference information, and organizations related to children’s development and children’s health. Provided by the National Library of Medicine and the National Institute of Health.
Mayo Clinic – Children’s Health Center
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/childrens-health/CC99999
Provides well-organized articles on child development, health care, and illnesses.
Food, Nutrition, and Healthy Living
Centers for Disease Control: Healthy Living
http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyLiving/
Links to CDC information on all areas of health and healthy living, including mental health, vaccination, and disease prevention.
USDA Food and Nutrition Information Center
http://fnic.nal.usda.gov/
Provides accurate and practical resources for nutrition and health professionals, educators, government personnel and consumers, including topics such as diet and disease, weight and obesity, food safety, dietary supplements.
Nutrition Analysis Tool
http://www.nat.uiuc.edu/
A tool provided by the University of Illinois uses USDA data to provide nutritional information (including amount of calories, fat, saturated fat, protein, sodium, Vitamin C, and percentage of recommended daily allowance) for a wide variety of foods.
Nutrition.gov
http://www.nutrition.gov/
This government site offers information on nutrition, the food pyramid, weight management, health issues related to diet, shopping and meal planning, dietary supplements, and food assistance programs.
Mental Health and Psychology
Mental Health Information Network
http://mhin.bu.edu/index.cfm
A site sponsored by Boston University that offers links to reliable websites and fact sheets on mental health topics, as well as community resources and information on related social issues such as homelessness, stigma, and incarceration.
National Institute of Mental Health
http://www.apa.org/
Information for the general public on various mental health topics, as well as mental health statistics and current clinical trials sponsored by the NIMH.
American Psychological Association
http://www.apa.org/
The APA is the national organization representing psychologists, both those who practice psychology therapy and those who perform psychological research. This site offers information for the public on psychology topics, links to APA publications, and help finding a psychologist.
http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/
From the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration within the Department of Health and Human Services comes links to information on care, support, and publications on a range of mental health topics. Covers policy concerns and specific illnesses.
PsychWeb
http://www.psywww.com/
This site offers a searchable introductory psychology textbook and several other psychology books full-text, and links to scholarly psychology resources.
Health Care Policy
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
http://www.ahrq.gov
A department within Health and Human Services, the AHRQ is a funding organization that supports research that will improve the quality of health care by improving access and efficiency in health care.
Duke Health Policy Gateway
http://www.hpolicy.duke.edu/cyberexchange/
The Duke University site provides links to the websites of key players in national and international health care policy, including government departments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), HMO groups, and consumer organizations. Also contains links to information on key health policy issue areas. Highly recommended.
HHS/Policy Issues
http://aspe.hhs.gov/
Links to study results and reports organized by topics, such as public health, child welfare, food and nutrition.
HHS Health Care Policy Page
http://www.hhs.gov/policies/
The HHS site links to current guidelines related to all areas of health care provided by various agencies of the federal government, such as the CDC, the FDA, and the NIH.
Health Hippo/Policy Issues
http://hippo.findlaw.com/hippohome.html
Health law, policy and regulatory materials from government and non-government sites.
Kaiser Network
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/
A private organization website dedicated to reliable, non-partisan information on national health issues for policymakers, the media, and the general public. Health-related news and links to public opinion polls on health-care topics are prominently featured.