ONLINE HEALTH RESOURCES
MedlinePlus.gov
http://medlineplus.gov
http://medlineplus.gov/spanish/
From the National Library of Medicine, MedlinePlus has extensive information in English and Spanish, including drug information, an illustrated medical encyclopedia, interactive patient tutorials, and the latest health news. The site provides videos and health check tools for learning about health, and offers a growing collection of trustworthy materials in over 45 languages. The site brings together authoritative information from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), other government agencies and health-related organizations, making it the first choice for online health information for librarians and consumers.
NIH Senior Health
This easy-to-use web site features basic health and wellness information of interest to older adults from the National Institutes of Health. The site is designed especially for older adults, who can use the buttons at the top of each page to make the text larger, change text color, or hear the text read aloud.
Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research (AHRQ)
http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/
http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/espanoix.htm
http://www.ahrq.gov/preguntas/
This agency provides excellent materials related to patient safety, staying healthy, patient-doctor communication, health literacy, and understanding medical treatments.
KidsHealth.org
The premier, online resource for kids health information, KidsHealth is divided into three main sections: Parents, Kids, and Teens. Each section has significant content available in Spanish, accessible by clicking the En Espanol button (bottom of left sidebar).
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The following links are to databases provided by the library. You may need your library card to access them. Please contact us if you need help.
This is a comprehensive resource for consumer-oriented health content. It is designed to support the information needs of patients, and to foster an overall understanding of health-related topics.
Health Source Consumer Edition
Health Source: Consumer Edition is a collection of consumer health information. It provides full-text access to several consumer health magazines, including Men’s Health, Prevention, and Vegetarian Times.
This resource provides comprehensive evidence-based reports and fact sheets in Spanish on all aspects of consumer health and wellness.
MEDICATIONS
Partnership for Prescription Assistance
http://www.pparx.org/en
http://www.pparx.org/es
The Partnership for Prescription Assistance brings together America’s pharmaceutical companies, doctors, other health care providers, patient advocacy organizations and community groups to help qualifying patients without prescription drug coverage get free or low-cost medicines through the public or private program that’s right for them.
Medication Safety Booklet in Spanish and English
Spanish: http://1.usa.gov/niu45x
English: http://1.usa.gov/jClN3h
AHRQ has released a revised Spanish-language medication safety booklet, “Su medicamento: Infórmese. Evite riesgos” (“Your Medicine: Be Smart. Be Safe.”) to help Spanish-speaking patients learn more about how to take medicines safely. The booklet includes a detachable, wallet-size card that can help patients keep track of medicines they are taking, including vitamins and herbal and other dietary supplements. The booklet is also available in English.
CAREGIVING
Family Caregiver Alliance
The emotions, daily tasks and overall responsibilities as a new caregiver may seem overwhelming. This site provides a wealth of information including tips and support for the caregiver, including caregiving information and advice, fact sheets, and special topic discussion groups.
Taking Care of You: Self-Care for Family Caregivers
http://caregiver.org/caregiver/jsp/print_friendly.jsp?nodeid=847
Caring for yourself is one of the most important and most often forgotten things you can do as a caregiver. Take care of your needs, and the person you care for will benefit, too. Here you will find tools for reducing personal stress, setting goals, and communicating constructively.
COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM)
http://nccam.nih.gov/
http://nccam.nih.gov/health/espanol/
The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) is the leading research agency on complementary and alternative medicine. As part of the National Institutes of Health, NCCAM conducts research on CAM therapies and reports its findings back to the public. The NCCAM web site is consumer-friendly, presenting consumer information prominently on the home page. This site is recommended whenever information is needed about CAM therapies or conditions for which CAM is used.
Taking Charge of Your Health – University of Minnesota Center for Spirituality and Healing
http://takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/
The Center for Spirituality and Healing provides excellent information for consumers on complementary therapies and healing practices. This well-designed site is recommended for librarians and consumers for information on complementary practices and conditions that benefit from using complementary approach to healing, finding practitioners, and healthy living.
Hypnotherapy, University of Maryland Medical Center
http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/hypnotherapy-000353.htm
A general overview of hypnotherapy, plus advice on how to find a hypnotherapist and what to expect during a visit to a hypnotherapist. Many scholarly articles on the subject are included on the site’s list of references.
Mindfulness Awareness Research Center (MARC) at UCLA
http://marc.ucla.edu/
http://marc.ucla.edu/body.cfm?id=22
This web site provides an excellent bibliography and a list of research articles in support of mindfulness. Guided meditation mp3 audio files are available to download free of charge or listen to streaming audio at the second link provided.
DIRECTORIES OF HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS
DIRLINE Directory of Health Organizations
A national directory of health organizations provided by NLM’s Specialized Information Services (SIS). Users can search for a specific disease, search by an organization’s name, or browse the entire list of organizations.
National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD)
The NORD web site includes a database of organizations for rare disorders in addition to the well-known comprehensive disease database which covers over 1,150 diseases.
American Medical Association’s DoctorFinder
http://dbapps.ama-assn.org/aps/amahg.htm
Provides basic professional information on virtually every licensed physician in the U.S, including doctors of medicine and doctors of osteopathic medicine.
ONLINE SUPPORT GROUPS
PatientsLikeMe
http://www.patientslikeme.com/
PatientsLikeMe is a network where users can learn from the real-world experiences of other patients with similar conditions or concerns. The site features online support for many types of health conditions, as well as information on medications, treatments, symptoms, and the latest research.
DailyStrength
DailyStrength has online support groups and information on treatments organized by health topic. The site also has a section where users can ask health experts and health advocates for advice.
CareFlash
CareFlash helps families and loved ones by offering free, private, online Care Communities. This site utilizes social networking technology to providea private, online space that can be used to share information with family and friends to keep people informed about a patient’s progress, and much more.
CureTogether
From the CureTogether web site, “We are 5,601 people working together to find cures. We are sharing details about our experience with 421 health conditions. Some of us have found our cure. Others are still searching. We believe our collective experience can help millions.” The site was the winner of the Mayo Clinic’s iSpot Competition for Ideas That Will Transform Healthcare (2009).
Inspire
This organization provides “safe, online health and wellness communities in which patients, families, friends and caregivers connect with one another for support and information.” Inspire partners with over 50 reputable health and health information organizations including the ALS Association, the Children’sInnat NIH, the Food Allergy Initiative, and the Arthritis Foundation.
Psych Central
http://forums.psychcentral.com/
http://psychcentral.com/
One of the largest and oldest independent mental health social networks, Psych Central was named one of the 50 best web sites for 2008 by Time Magazine. The site is run by mental health professionals offering reliable, trusted information; over 150 support groups are available to consumers. The first link takes users to the Community section, which includes a discussion forum, and links to blogs, chat, a rating area for therapies, and more.
