Kelli Ham, MLISConsumer Health CoordinatorNN/LM Pacific Southwest Region

http://nnlm.gov

Part of the National Institutes of Health, NLM is the provider of

PubMed.gov, MedlinePlus.gov, and many other health information

resourceshttp://www.nlm.nih.gov

What is the National Library of Medicine?

Online Health Searching

88% of online searchers look for health information

Over half of online health searchers later discussed information with their doctors

Half of all searches are based on discussions with doctors

Harris Poll, “Cyberchondriacs” on the Rise?

August 4, 2010

What are the top sources consulted for health information?

Health professional = 86%Friend or family member = 68%Internet=57%Books or other print material=54%Insurance provider=33%Other source=5%

Source: Pew Internet and American Life ProjectThe Social Life of Health Information, June 2009

Health Information is Everywhere! How does MedlinePlus differ from

popular search engines and commercial health sites?

About MedlinePlus.gov

Debuted in 1998 with 22 health topics, now there are over 800 topics

Designed to be appealing and easy to use

Not a search engine, but a current collection of the best links to health information

Adheres to strict quality guidelines

No advertising or collection of personal info

MedlinePlus In a Nutshell• Over 800 health topics

in English and Spanish• Drug and herbal

supplement information• Videos and animations• Health Check tools• Easy-to-read Materials• Multiple Languages• Medical Dictionary &

Encyclopedia• Health News

medlineplus.gov

Search Tips

Key word versus phrase searching- renal cell cancer = 985 results• - “renal cell cancer” = 24 results

Boolean searching ( OR, NOT )- ”weight loss” NOT surgery- “weight loss” “gastric bypass” (AND is the default)

Use the asterisk to search for word variations

- lymph* (lymphoma, lymphatic, lymphedema)

Designed for Everyone

People use different search strategiesType keywords in search boxScan list of topicsClick on meaningful icons or visually appealing

imagesBrowse pages

No matter how someone searches, they will find information on MedlinePlus!

www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/searchtips.html

When formatted for printing, the URLs are spelled out

Clicking the speaker icon will play an audio pronunciation

MedlinePlus Magazine

A quarterly publication of the Friends of the National Library of Medicine.

Get a free subscription!

www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/magazine/issues/sprsum10/toc.html

NIH MedlinePlus Salud comes out twice a year

Bilingual format on facing pages

Reality Check

One out of _____ American adults reads at the 5th grade level or below.

The average American reads at about the

8th grade level, yet most health care materials are written above the ____ grade level.

Reality Check

One out of 5 American adults reads at the 5th grade level or below.

The average American reads at about the 8th grade level, yet most health care materials are written above the 10th grade level.

Source: Partnership for Clear Health Communication, National Patient Safety Foundation

http://www.npsf.org/askme3/pdfs/STATS_GLANCE_EN.pdf

Health Literacy Defined Ability to obtain and understand health

information, and to act on that information

1 in 3 adults have Basic or Below Basic skills

http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2006/2006483_1.pdf

MedlinePlus Offers Easy-to-understand Information

Easy-to-read Resources

Plain language information from government agencies and health organizations

Interactive Tutorials with audio, images, and text at 6th grade level

How to Write Easy-to-read

Tools to help recognize elements of easy-to-read resources

Helpful information for writing understandable information

Medical encyclopedia entry

Medical encyclopedia

images

Medical Encyclopedia –

Patient Instructions

Source: American Society of Health System Pharmacists

Drug Record in Spanish

Just Added!

Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database Consumer Version

100 English and Spanish monographsHerbals, dietary supplements, and how they workEffectiveness ratings for different indicationsSafety concerns, including precautions ,warnings and possible interactions with medications, foods, and other herbs and supplementsExtensive lists of references, with links to PubMed

Herbs and Supplements Record

Videos and Cool Tools

From A.D.A.M

Features brief video with transcript

Requires QuickTime(free download)

Health Check Tools and Games

Assess your risk for health conditions

Have fun learning about your health

For all ages

Example:Health Check

Tool

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)http://www.ahrq.gov/questionsaretheanswer/questionBuilder.aspx

National Heart Lung and Blood Institutehttp://hp2010.nhlbihin.net/menuplanner/menu.cgi

Example:Health Check

Tool

Food Detectives Fight Bac – Partnerships for Food Safetyhttp://www.fightbac.org/education-a-outreach/kids-pages

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)http://teens.drugabuse.gov/sarasquest/sqgame.php

http://americanhistory.si.edu/anatomy/bodyparts/nma03_bodyparts.html

HealthDay Videos – MedlinePlus News

Content optimized for small screens

Works on smart phones and other mobile devices

In English and Spanish

m.medlineplus.gov

m.medlineplus.gov/spanish

04/12/23

nihseniorhealth.gov

Training Programs for Seniors

http://nihseniorhealth.gov/toolkit/toolkit.htmlnihseniorhealth.gov/toolkit/toolkit.html

English: http://nnlm.gov/training/resources/mptri.pdfSpanish: http://nnlm.gov/training/resources/mptri_esp.pdf

Take-away Points

1) Help your patrons be informed health information searchers

2) Encourage them to ask questions

3) Be an advocate for health

Questions?

Thank You!

Kelli Ham, MLISConsumer Health Coordinator

NN/LM Pacific Southwest RegionUCLA Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library

kkham@library.ucla.edu(800)338-7657