September 2, 2009 at 2:40 pm (General)
Tags: Consumer Health, Medline Plus, National Institutes of Health, National Institutes of Medicine, National Library of Medicine, Reference, technology
Here is a new health resources that offers a unique approach to sifting through the vast quantities of online medical/health websites and zeroing in on quality, authoritative, and reliable information. HealthBase is a (self 
described) research solution for healthcare powered by NetBase Solutions. It relies on “content intelligence technology”** to scour millions of documents to provide results in 4 areas – treatments for health conditions, causes of health conditions, complications of health conditions, and pros & cons of drugs, foods, chemicals and treatments. Answers are retrived from authoritative health resources including: PubMed, eMedicine, WebMD, Health Central, Mayo Clinic, Health Finder, and NetWellness.
** NetBase’s Content Intelligence Technology reads every sentence inside documents, linguistically understands the content and powers breakthrough search experiences that deliver highly relevant answers and insights. It’s the world’s only technology that can:
- Harness billions of documents
- Linguistically understand sentences
- Automatically find answers
NetBase is used by organizations that are recognized as global leaders in healthcare, consumer packaged goods, publishing, manufacturing, government and more.
Disclaimer: This Site Does Not Offer Medical Advice and Nothing in the Content Is Intended to Constitute Professional Advice for Medical Diagnosis or Treatment. The Contents on this Site is presented in a summary fashion with links to external health-related Internet Sites, and is intended to be used for educational and entertainment purposes only.
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August 12, 2009 at 11:52 am (General)
Tags: disabilities, disabled, medicare/medicaid, National Institutes of Health, National Institutes of Medicine, National Library of Medicine
The U.S. Department of Labor has relaunched DisabilityInfo.gov as Disability.gov, available at http://www.disability.gov. Disability.gov contains information from 22 federal agencies in 10 subject areas including civil rights, education, housing, and technology. It offers RSS feeds, email notification of news, twitter, and email receipt of the quarterly newsletter Disability Connection. Across the upper right hand side are adaptive tools to utilize when viewing the page that can increase text size and provide high contrast display.
Disability.gov is designed to provide people with disabilities, their family members, employers, service providers, educators and others with quick and easy access to the information they need. The site offers a number of ways to find this information, including:
- Search & Advanced Search
- Information by Topic
- Information by State
- “I want to”
The Information by State option enables users to list resources and programs unique to their location. I Want To allows you to locate information based on a particular action, for example “Find a job” or “Apply for scholarships.” There are ten “I Want To” actions on the home page that cover the most frequently asked about topics. If you click on “More Options” at the bottom right of the “I Want To” section, you will find additional choices. The News & Events tab at the bottom of the page includes up-to-date information on topics of particular interest to disabled individuals.
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May 6, 2009 at 10:55 am (General)
Tags: Consumer Health, H1N1, Medline Plus, National Institutes of Medicine, Swine Flu
Medline Plus (a service of the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health) now has flu information available in 19 world languages. From Arabic to Vietnamese and including Chinese, Somali and Spanish, these resources are available as PDFs and some are in a bilingual format.
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April 3, 2009 at 3:21 pm (General)
Tags: Capital Area District Library, Consumer Health, Libraries, Michigan eLibrary, National Institutes of Medicine, Reference
If you’ve had any encounters with medical professionals over the past few years you may have noticed a shift in how 
the exchange of information is handled. The health care system used to be more paternalistic with the doctor laying out the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis all in one neat package. The system was doctor-centered and the patient’s role was one of trust and compliance. The doctor had the formal education and knowledge which the patient benefited from. Gradually though, a shift has occurred and our system is now patient-oriented where the patient is more of a partner in the diagnosis and treatment process. Patients are expected to ask questions, obtain information, consider options, discuss rather than just listen, and participate in decision-making. This is not to say that the doctor has been displaced as the knowledgeable and educated expert but rather to recognize that all patients now play an expanded role in their own health care.
In order to do this, both participants need to learn new skill sets - patients need to educate themselves about their condition, ask questions, keep notes; doctors need to engage patients, express empathy, listen. This shift in the relationship dynamics is recognized by the medical community and being addressed in training. For their part, patients need to know that they have many educational resources available to them via their local public library, medical libraries that are open to the public, subscription databases, and the internet.
In the mid-Michigan area the Capital Area District Library offers many books and magazines and databases. Sparrow Health Sciences Library is open to the public for finding quality medical information. Reliable internet sites like WebMd, National Library of Medicine, and Mayo Clinic, are also useful. So, if you find yourself in need of reliable medical information, don’t hesitate to utilize one or all of these resources to complement the information you receive from your doctor and other medical professionals.
Disclaimer: The above material is intended for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical diagnosis and advice.
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December 20, 2008 at 11:59 am (General)
Tags: American Cancer Society, Consumer Health, National Institutes of Medicine, weight loss
Just in time for the holidays, here are some health check tools you can use as you plan your 2009 New Year’s resolutions. As the number of Americans of all ages suffering from weight related diseases and illnesses continues to increase, looking out for #1 (you and your family) should be #1 on your list for 2009. These tools can help you assess where you are and each offers tips for improving your health.
A BMI (body mass index) calculator is available from the U.S. Health & Human Services Department, National Institutes of Health. BMI is an indicator of body fat based on height and weight for both men and women. Also included are links to tips for healthy eating and recipes.
A Calorie counter from the American Cancer Society lets you see how many calories you need to maintain a current weight and gives tips for loosing weight. One simple change of eliminating a 20 ounce regular soda each day can shave off 1,750 calories per week. It only takes a reduction of 3,500 calories a week to lose one pound! This little change puts you ½ way there.
Not interested in these calculators? Have a concern about some other aspect of personal health? Check out the health calculators offered at the MedlinePlus website. Over 100 calculators are available in an A to Z list.
A Happy and Healthy New Year to you!
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