HLT 220: Concepts of Disease

Government Resources

• Centers for Disease Control & Prevention [CDC] Diseases & Conditions A-Z Index - A subset of the main CDC A-z index focused specifically on human diseases and conditions.
• Medline Plus Health Information - The front door to all of the Medline Plus information resources: Health Topics (health, wellness, disorders & conditions), Drugs & Supplements (prescription drugs, OTC medications, herbs & supplements), Laboratory Tests, Medical Encyclopedia, Clinical Trials and more. Patient focused. 
• Search NIH Health Topics - searching a health topic on this page will return results from very National Institute of Health [NIH] agency. Very helpful for finding information on more obscure or orphan disorders.

Major Hospital/Clinic Resources

• Mayo Clinic Patient Care & Health Information - Locate information on diseases and conditions, symptoms, tests & procedures, and drugs and supplements.
• Cleveland Clinic Health Library - Locate information on diseases and conditions, symptoms, tests & procedures, medical devices, drugs and supplements.

NGO and Other Resources

• World Health Organization Health Topics - In addition to the topics listed A-Z, click on Health Topics drop-down in the blue bar for additional information resources, including: WHO data, fact sheets, Q&A's, and and more.
• Merck Manuals (Professional Version) - browse or search for information on medical conditions, drugs, and procedures. Includes a pill identifier, videos of medical procedures, resources for Lab procedures, conversion tables, and more. The US version is available in both English and Spanish. There is an International version, available in 6 more languages, but it is not as complete as the US version. There is also a Consumer Version, good for patient information.

"Content on the internet is unregulated; anyone can publish anything on the internet. There is sound medical information on the internet along with dangerous information. You need to be able to tell the difference." (Office of Engagement and Training, National Network of the Libraries of Medicine)

Here are resources to learn the skills to evaluate health information on the internet:

• Evaluating Internet Health Information Tutorial (National Library of Medicine)
• MedLine Plus Guide to Health Web Surfing 
• Finding Reliable Health Information on the Internet  (slide tutorial from Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Community Health Library)
• Evaluating Health Websites (National Network of the Libraries of Medicine)
• Trust it or Trash it - Health information evaluation tool