MAC Messages Number 90:
November/December 2001

Consumer Health
By Jana Allcock, NN/LM Outreach Coordinator

Here are a few websites to keep in mind while looking for health information:

Consumer Health Web Manual http://nnlm.gov/scr/conhlth/manualidx.htm from NN/LM South Central Region: This manual has many good chapters to help with setting up and maintaining a consumer health library. Watch for a new chapter on Senior health, and updates throughout.

HealthInfoquest http://nnlm.gov/healthinfoquest/ This resource, developed with the assistance of Pacific Northwesterners, is a good way to learn how to use the "tools of the trade". It was designed as a tutorial for public librarians.

CAPHIS, the Consumer And Patient Health Information Section of MLA, provides great support for its members and even non-members through it's Web page at http://caphis.njc.org/ You'll find links on how to manage a consumer health information service from this site.

Readability is a concern of all of us who use patient education information. This page, http://www.med.utah.edu/pated/authors/readability.html, provides a few examples of readability scales.

http://Medem.com is provided by the American Medical Association in partnership with other associations and societies. The information that it links to is rated on complexity and relevancy.

NOAH http://www.noah-health.org/ is an excellent site to obtain Spanish consumer health information. They have been collecting health information for many years, and do a fine job maintaining their site.

With a link to the health observances calendar, healthfinder provides a unique service. Other services provided include a Spanish interface, kids pages, and health topics pages. You can reach healthfinder at http://www.healthfinder.gov/.

And, last and best, MEDLINEplus http://medlineplus.gov provides users with a robust system that is easy to use. Users will find out information concerning medications, health topics, dictionary information, directory information, and interactive tutorials. Try out a search in the Medical Encyclopedia.

There may not be many new resources listed in this list, but it is nice to see that the ones we are familiar with are fulfilling their purpose.

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