Links for Health Information
CAPHIS Web Sites - What makes this site useful is the list of "Websites That You Can Trust." It's maintained by the Consumer and Patient Health Information Section (CAPHIS) of the Medical Library Association. Categories that it includes are Women's Health, Men's Health, Parenting and Kids, Seniors, Drug Info and Specific Health Problems.MEDLINEplus Health Information - Information on health topics and drugs as well as dictionaries and a medical encyclopedia are included. Also provided: directories for doctors, dentists, and hospitals; current health news; and a link to the National Institutes of Health website on clinical trials. (en español)
Healthfinder - The U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services provides this website which contains health information from over 1,800 government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and universities. You'll also find information on doctors, hospitals, public clinics, nursing homes, health insurance, Medicare and Medicaid.
MayoClinic - This site contains a wealth of information in an easy-to-understand format. Medical experts monitor the content continually to make sure it's accurate and up-to-date.
HealthWeb - Access to non-commercial Internet resources is provided at this website. It was developed by the health sciences libraries of the Greater Midwest Region of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine and those of the Committee for Institutional Cooperation.
InfoTrac - Search the Health Reference Center Academic database of InfoTrac to find articles on health related topics. (Requires a C/W Mars Library Card)
Physician Information:
AMA Physician Select - Information on over 690,000 doctors of medicine and doctors of osteopathy or osteopathic medicine is given. Searches can be done by physician name or medical specialty.DocFinder - This site, which is free of charge, is maintained by the Administrators in Medicine (AIM), a national organization for State Medical & Osteopathic Board Executive Directors. Not all states participate (Massachusetts does). The type of information provided is different for each state. Usually the licensing background of physicians is given. The information on disciplinary actions can be limited; you may have to write to the medical board of the particular state for more detail.
If the above sites do not help in locating information, try using a search engine, such as Google. Remember, though, to use the following criteria in judging web sites with health information:
- Is the sponsoring institution reputable (e.g., Mayo Clinic or New England Journal of Medicine)?
- Is there an editorial board with the names of independent medical experts?
- How is the site funded? Are potential conflicts of interest disclosed? Might an article be biased in favor of a drug the sponsor sells?
- Is this a medical article, or is it just a posting in a chat room, newsgroup or mailing list?
- Is the information descriptive or prescriptive? (Beware of misinformation and bad advice.)
- When was the article written or last updated?
- Is the author listed? What are their credentials?
- How reliable is the supporting evidence? Are sources cited?
- Is there a contact provided so that you can ask questions?
- Was the information reviewed or indexed by a reliable source (e.g., a medical association), or did you find the article through a general search engine?
Signs of fraud:
- One product to cure many unrelated diseases.
- Quick cure for serious disease such as cancer.
- Personal testimonials as supporting evidence, instead of journal citations.
- "Time-tested," rather than scientifically tested.
- Words like "Medical breakthrough" -- a true breakthrough would be widely reported, and your doctor would know about it.
- Money-back guarantees.