Teens turn to Internet to cope with health challenges [news release]

Teens turn to Internet to cope with health challenges.

From the 2 June 2015 Northwestern University news release

National survey explores how and why teens use online health information and digital tools

June 2, 2015 | by Julie Deardorff

EVANSTON, Ill. — At a time when teenagers are grappling with new and often confusing health concerns, the overwhelming majority — 84 percent — turn to the Internet, according to the first national study in more than a decade to examine how adolescents use digital tools for health information.

But while most teens tap online sources to learn more about puberty, drugs, sex, depression and other issues, a surprising 88 percent said they do not feel comfortable sharing their health concerns with Facebook friends or on other social networking sites, according to the study by Northwestern University researchers.

The report yields important information for public health organizations trying to reach adolescents. Nearly one third of the teenagers surveyed said the online information led to behavior changes, such as cutting back on soda, trying healthier recipes and using exercise to combat depression. One in five teens surveyed, or 21 percent, meanwhile, have downloaded mobile health apps.

“We found some real surprises about what teens are doing online when it comes to their health,” said Ellen Wartella, director of Northwestern’s Center on Media and Human Development and lead author of the report.

“We often hear about all the negative things kids are doing online, but teens are using the Internet to take care of themselves and others around them,” said Wartella, the Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani Professor in Communication in Northwestern’s School of Communication.

“The new study underscores how important it is to make sure there is accurate, appropriate and easily accessible information available to teens, because it’s used and acted upon.”**

– See more at: http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2015/06/teens-turn-to-internet-to-cope-with-health-challenges.html#sthash.kXrBqfZl.dpuf

**Related Resources

KidsHealth provides information about health, behavior, and development from before birth through the teen years.Material is written by doctors in understandable language at three levels: parents, kids, and teens. KidsHealth also provides families with perspective, advice, and comfort about a wide range of physical, emotional, and behavioral issues that affect children and teens

 

Medline Plus (National Insitutes of Health)  is a great starting point for reliable health information.Over 750 topics on conditions, diseases, and wellness.  Information on drugs, herbs, and supplements. Links to directories (health care providers, health care facilities, etc) and organizations which provide health information. Surgery videos, interactive health tutorials, and more. 

The CDC is the US government’s primary way to communicate information on diseases, conditions, and safety. Information may be found in areas as ….

• Data and Statistics
• Diseases and Conditions
• Emergency Preparedness and Response

• Environmental Health
• Healthy Living
• Injury Prevention and Control

Even more….

Health Resources for All Edited by Janice Flahiff

Consumer Health Library Guide – University of Toledo
mostly link to free reputable Web sites

 

 

Where do you get your health information? [Reblog]

Where do you get your health information? ‹ Reader — WordPress.com.

From a June 2015 post at drgladstone

Recently there was something in the news about roughly half of the information in the shows “the doctors” and the Dr. Oz show was correct (actually it was 63% of the time in “the doctors: and correct about 49% on the Dr. Oz show). See an article reporting on this here. Often times people will have looked things up on the internet when they come into the office.

Now I’m not bringing this up to knock Dr. Oz or the doctors who appear on “The Doctors”, nor looking things up the internet. However it’s important to ask several questions.
1) Does the claim have any scientific basis?
2) Has the study (if a study is being quoted) been replicated with the same or similar results obtained?
2a) who funded the study? was it reported in a reputable journal? If it is a product being touted, did the company making the product fund the study?
3) Does the person ‘reporting’ the results, or pushing the product have a connection with the company? Just because someone is employed or funded doesn’t necessarily mean they’re biased, but it is something to take into account

…

Read the entire post here

Related Resources

Medline Plus (National Insitutes of Health)  is a great starting point for reliable health information.Over 750 topics on conditions, diseases, and wellness.  Information on drugs, herbs, and supplements. Links to directories (health care providers, health care facilities, etc) and organizations which provide health information. Surgery videos, interactive health tutorials, and more.

Patients and Consumers – AHRQ

  Latest information for improving your health, including podcasts and videos

The CDC is the US government’s primary way to communicate information on diseases, conditions, and safety. Information may be found in areas as …. Diseases and Conditions Emergency Preparedness and Response Environmental Health Healthy Living Injury Prevention and Control eMedicine Health has over 900 health and medical articles.   Most articles include causes, symptoms, treatment options, prevention, prognosis, and more. Information may also be browsed by topic (Topics A-Z).  Additional features include picture slideshows, etools, and more.      Familydoctor.org includes health information for the whole family Short generalized information on Diseases and Conditions (with A-Z index), Health Information for Seniors, Men, and Women, Healthy Living Topics, pages geared to Parenting & Kids.  Numerous health tools in the left column (as health trackers, health assessments, and a Search by Symptom page. Healthfinder.gov is a US government Web site with information and tools that can help you stay healthy.   KidsHealth provides information about health, behavior, and development from before birth through the teen years.Material is written by doctors in understandable language at three levels: parents, kids, and teens. KidsHealth also provides families with perspective, advice, and comfort about a wide range of physical, emotional, and behavioral issues that affect children and teens

Patient Care and Health Information contains trusted information on diseases and conditions  (including a symptom checker), drugs and supplements, tests and procedures, and healthy lifestyle information.      UpToDate For Patients has a Patient Information tab to find information by topic or through a search box. Topics help one to learn more about a medical condition, better understand management and treatment options, and have a better dialogue with health care providers.   [Adapted from Great Places to start (Univ of Toledo Consumer Health LibGuide)]

Even more….

Health Resources for All Edited by Janice Flahiff

Consumer Health Library Guide – University of Toledo
mostly link to free reputable Web sites

[Research article] Learning about health and medicine from Internet data

From the 2 February 2015 Microsoft research summary

urveys show that around 70% of US Internet users consult the Internet when they require medical information. People seek this information using both traditional search engines and via social media. The information created using the search process offers an unprecedented opportunity for applications to monitor and improve the quality of life of people with a variety of medical conditions. In recent years, research in this area has addressed public-health questions such as the effect of media on development of anorexia, developed tools for measuring influenza rates and assessing drug safety, and examined the effects of health information on individual wellbeing. This tutorial will show how Internet data can facilitate medical research, providing an overview of the state-of-the-art in this area. During the tutorial we will discuss the information which can be gleaned from a variety of Internet data sources, including social media, search engines, and specialized medical websites. We will provide an overview of analysis methods used in recent literature, and show how results can be evaluated using publicly-available health information and online experimentation. Finally, we will discuss ethical and privacy issues and possible technological solutions. This tutorial is intended for researchers of user generated content who are interested in applying their knowledge to improve health and medicine.

[Press release] Twitter the right prescription for sharing health research: UBC study

 

 

From the 14 February 2014 University of British Columbia press release

Using Twitter can help physicians be better prepared to answer questions from their patients, according to researchers from the University of British Columbia.

The study, presented today at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), finds more and more health care professionals are embracing social media. This challenges common opinion that physicians are reluctant to jump on the social media bandwagon.

“Many people go online for health information, but little research has been done on who is participating in these discussions or what is being shared,” says Julie Robillard, lead author and neurology professor at UBC’s National Core for Neuroethics and Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health.

Robillard and fourth-year psychology student Emanuel Cabral spent six months monitoring conversations surrounding stem cell research related to spinal cord injury and Parkinson’s disease on Twitter. They found roughly 25 per cent of the tweets about spinal cord injury and 15 per cent of the tweets about Parkinson’s disease were from health care professionals.

The study found the majority of tweets were about research findings, particularly the ones perceived as medical breakthroughs. The most shared content were links to research reports……

 

[Press release] Carnegie Mellon, Pitt Ethicists Question Impact of Hospital Advertisi

About 20 years ago I started thinking along similar lines. Now I am at a point questioning if it is ethical to profit from health care. Two years as a Peace Corps volunteer (back in 1980/81 in Liberia, West Africa) changed my views on many topics considerably. Also I think it was the wonderful humanistic/social justice  tone of grade school religious textbooks, notably 8th grade back in 1969.

Summary (from EurkAlert!)

Ethicists question the impact of health information that is available online, specifically hospital advertisements, and argue that while the Internet offers patients valuable data and tools — including hospital quality ratings and professional treatment guidelines – that may help them when facing decisions about where to seek care or whether to undergo a medical procedure, reliable and unbiased information may be hard to identify among the growing number of medical care advertisements online.

From the 30 January 2015 Carnegie Mellon press release

In a commentary piece published in JAMA Internal Medicine, Carnegie Mellon University’s Alex John London and the University of Pittsburgh’s Yael Schenkerquestion the impact of health information that is available online, specifically hospital advertisements. London and Schenker argue that while the Internet offers patients valuable data and tools — including hospital quality ratings and professional treatment guidelines — that may help them when facing decisions about where to seek care or whether to undergo a medical procedure, reliable and unbiased information may be hard to identify among the growing number of medical care advertisements online.

“The marketing objective of selling services by making them seem attractive to consumers can create tensions or outright conflict with the ethical imperative of respect for persons, since the latter requires that patients make medical decisions in light of balanced information about the full range of risks and benefits associated with their care,” said London, professor of philosophy in CMU’s Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences and director of the Center for Ethics and Policy.

Referencing a research article in the same journal issue that found hospital websites failed to disclose risk information for transaortic valve replacement (TAVR), a recently approved procedure to treat patients whose aortic valve does not open fully, London and Schenker pinpoint four risk concerns for patients seeking medical information online:

1. Identifying Advertising — Hospital websites often have the appearance of an education portal, leaving patients to assume that the information presented is informational, not persuasive.

2. Finding Unbiased Information — Unlike FDA-regulated direct-to-consumer advertising for prescription drugs, hospital advertising is overseen by the Federal Trade Commission and subject to the same “reasonable” standards applied to advertisements for common consumer goods such as cars and cereal. While hospital advertisements may describe specific medical interventions that entail significant
risks, there is no legal requirement that these risks be disclosed.

3. Recognizing Incomplete or Imbalanced Information — Poor-quality medical information is hard to recognize unless the person reading it is a trained clinician.

4. Influence on Health Care Decisions — As patients seek out information online, the quality of their decision-making and care choices will be influenced by the accuracy or inaccuracy of the information they are likely to encounter.

To begin to fix the risk to patients seeking medical information online, London and Schenker recommend to clearly label hospital websites as advertisements; allocate resources to created balanced online informational tools; and focus future attention on not only the content of health care advertising but its impact.

For more information, visit http://www.hss.cmu.edu/philosophy/faculty-london.php.

 

Related Resource

• Evaluating Health Information (Health Resources for All, Edited by JaniceFlahiff)
  • The Penn State Medical Center Library has a great guide to evaluate health information on the Internet.

    The tips include

    • Remember, anyone can publish information on the internet!
    • If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
      If the Web site is primarily about selling a product, the information may be worth checking from another source.
    • Look for who is publishing the information and their education, credentials, and if they are connected with a trusted coporation, university or agency.
    • Check to see how current the information is.
    • Check for accuracy. Does the Web site refer to specific studies or organizations?
  • How to Evaluate Health Information on the Internet (US National Cancer Institute)

Partners in Information Access for the Public Health Workforce – Great site to learn and keep updated about issues afffecting all

Keeps you informed about news in public health, upcoming meetings, and new public health online resources

Partners in Information Access for the Public Health Workforce  is a  collaboration of U.S. government agencies, public health organizations and health sciences libraries.  This comprehensive collection of online public health resources includes the following topic pages. Each has links to news items; links to relevant agencies, associations, and subtopics; literature and reports; data tools and statistics; grants and funding; education and training; conferences and meetings; jobs and careers;  and more

• Environmental Health
• Nutrition
• Obesity
• Public Health Genomics
• Workforce Development

Main Topic pages include material on

 

• Health Promotion and Health Education -news and resources
• Health Data Tools and Statistics-  links to international,  national, state, county and local data resources
• Grants and Funding
• Education and Training -many free and online
• Conferences and Meetings
• Finding People – directories of people and organizations in public health.
• Discussion and E-mail Lists
• Jobs and Careers

 

 

 

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• Adult Literacy: Better Reading Comprehension, How to Speed-Read, and Some Life-Changing Literature to Improve Your Life
• Library Research Service | Research And Statistics About Libraries

[Reblog] 9 out of 10 health entries on Wikipedia are inaccurate, study finds

From the 14 May 2014 post at Venture Beat News

Millions of people around the world immediately go to the Web for information after feeling a mysterious ache, pain, rash, or bump. This often results in either a panic attack or a false sense of calm. Doctors have warned against this practice since the days of Netscape, and now a new report puts some science behind their fears.

Researchers at Campbell University in North Carolina compared Wikipedia entries on 10 of the costliest health problems with peer-reviewed medical research on the same illnesses. Those illnesses included heart disease, lung cancer, depression, and hypertension, among others.

The researchers found that nine out of the 10 Wikipedia entries studied contained inaccurate and sometimes dangerously misleading information. “Wikipedia articles … contain many errors when checked against standard peer-reviewed sources,” the report states. “Caution should be used when using Wikipedia to answer questions regarding patient care.”

At Wikipedia anybody can contribute to entries on health problems — no medical training (or even common sense) is required.

“While Wikipedia is a convenient tool for conducting research, from a public health standpoint patients should not use it as a primary resource because those articles do not go through the same peer-review process as medical journals,” said the report’s lead author, Dr. Robert Hasty in a statement.

And there’s a lot of health information on Wikipedia. The site contains more than 31 million entries, and at least 20,000 of them are health-related, the report says.

The study findings were published in this month’s Journal of the American Osteopathic Association. You can see the full text of the study here.

Via: Daily Mail

More about the companies and people from this article:

• Wikipedia

Wikipedia is a project operated by a non-profit organization, the Wikimedia Foundation, and created and maintained by a strong community of 80,000 international active volunteer editors. Founded in 2001 by Jimmy Wales, Wikipedia has be… read more »

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Related Resources

How to evaluate health information (flahiff.google.com)

Evaluating health information (MedlinePlus)

How to evaluate health information (NIH)

Related articles

• Be wary of Wikipedia, say scientists
• Should you trust your doctor more than Wikipedia?
• Trust your doctor, not Wikipedia, say scientists

[Educational Resource] Science Literacy Resources

This resource is a bit off topic. It is an educational resource basically for junior high and high school teachers. However, I find it fascinating on how it shows the interrelationship among science and mathematical concepts. Here’s a few that are health/medical related

• Disease
• Maintaining Good Health
• Coping with Mental Distress
• Culture Affects Behavior
• Group Behavior

Here’s a sample

[News item’ The patient from the future, here today

Two thoughts on disparities highlighted in the article
What about folks who do not have the background and access to resources to self diagnose? In all countries, “developed” (as USA, most of Europe) and “developing” (asmuch of Africa, parts of Asia…)

Is it ethical for some health information to be physician/research access only?

 

From the 5 March 2014 UT-San Diego article

By 1997, those irregular heartbeats became common, leading to “hundreds and hundreds” of serious episodes, capable of causing death. She eventually received an ICD, an implanted cardioverter-defibrillator, which would shock her heart back into the proper rhythm.

Goodsell began studying her condition, drawing back on her own education. While she has no medical degree, Goodsell had been a pre-med student at UC San Diego, where she met Charles, who was studying chemistry. She dropped out after falling in love with nature during a trip to Peru.

Looking for that unifying theory, Goodsell delved into genomics, searching for mutations that could encompass her symptoms. She found it with a gene called LMNA, that codes for making proteins called lamins that stabilize cells. Defects in these proteins can cause a form of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, damaging nerves in the extremities and causing muscle wasting, including in the hands.

Symptom after symptom checked with the mutation. But to be sure, she needed a genetic test, and her Mayo doctors resisted.

…

Taking the research into self-therapy, Goodsell researched risk factors associated with the disease, examining what goes on at a molecular level. She changed her diet: Out went sugars, out went gluten and any food with additives. And out went a beloved snack.

“I used to eat bowls of jalapeño peppers. I discontinued.”

But she added certain fats she had previously avoided, such as omega-3 fatty acids and nuts, which are rich in fats.

“Cell membranes are fat, and we need fat — good fat,” she said. “I was advised to start eating fat.”

Goodsell said her symptoms improved. Control over her hands improved enough to allow her to eat with chopsticks and to resume kitesurfing.

Goodsell’s doctor wrote up her case history, listing her as co-author “because he said I had done the lion’s share of the work.” The study is to be presented at an upcoming meeting of the Heart Rhythm Society.

 

Read the entire article here

Related articles

Epatients: The hackers of the healthcare world [O’Reilly Radar]

• Are you an ePatient? (enbloommedia.com)
• The Rise of the e-Patient: Slideshow  (ScienceRoll)“It’s always good to see the trends about the growing number and importance of e-patients. Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Internet Project, presented this wonderful overview of the Project’s health findings at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, CA, on January 12.”
• Why patients are turning less to media and friends for health information  (jflahiff.wordpress.com)
• Can differential diagnosis be crowdsourced to Facebook Friends?(medgadget)
• ePatient Connections: A Patient Checks In. (sixuntilme.com)
• From E-patient Hackers to Health Games on Mobiles (scienceroll.com)
• The end of social – O’Reilly Radar (queuniversidade2.wordpress.com)
• Meet e-patient Dave – a voice of patient engagement (and related resources) (jflahiff.wordpress.com)
• 2020 Vision: The ePatient Evolution Over the Next 10 Years (prweb.com)
• ePatients Come Together to Brainstorm and Share (brassandivory.org)
• 6 P’s Of Social Health (socialmediaclub.org)
• The Rise of the ePatient – presentation by Pew Internet Project (casesblog.blogspot.com)

Meet e-patient Dave – a voice of patient engagement (and related resources)

 

 

• New Genetic Disorder Found In Kids; Symptoms – Tearless Crying, Liver Disease
• Patients who question their doctors are changing the face of medicine
• IBM’s Watson To Be Used For Cancer Treatment
• The next step for smart phones could be keeping tabs on patients
• Patient friendly doctors
• patient representative

Resources from the Association of Health Care Journalists

From the Resource page

The Association of Health Care Journalists offers a wide range of resources – many of which are available exclusively to members.

AHCJ publications include our newsletter, HealthBeat, as well as several guides to covering specific aspects of health and health care.

Members share ideas and ask questions of fellow members on the AHCJ electronic mailing list. Tip sheets are prepared for our conferences and workshops, often offering sources and information about covering specific stories.

Contest entries are from the Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism, recognizing the best health reporting in print, broadcast and online media. We have links to past winners and information culled from questionnaires submitted with the entries about how each story was researched and written.

We include links to some recent reports and studies of interest to our membership, as well as links to Web sites relevant to health care.

Members and other journalists write articles specifically for AHCJ about how they have reported a story, issues that our members are likely to cover and other important topics.

 

• AHCJ Articles
• Tip Sheets
• Health Data
• HospitalInspections.org
• Covering Health blog
• Global Health Coverage
• AHCJ Reporting Guides
• AHCJ Publications
• Electronic Discussion List
• Webcasts
• Contest Entries
• Latest Reports/Studies
• Websites
• Health-related Newsletters
• Freelancer’s Corner
• Advanced Search

 

 

• Health Reform
• Aging
• Oral Health
• Medical Studies
• Insurance
• Social Determinants
• Other Topics

Related articles

• Journalists Doubt Obama Administration’s Dedication to Transparency (pogoblog.typepad.com)
• Charles Ornstein: Six Questions About HealthCare.gov’s Future (guernicamag.com)
• There Once was a Responsible Journalist (find links at the bottom) (scottbest.wordpress.com)
• Donor Dilemma receives national recognition (andrewcconte.wordpress.com)

 

[Purdue Library Website] Good Resource Tools for Medical and Health Information

Of particular note in the health/medical area….

Under the tab Health Information

DISEASES

• Cancer.gov

• Centers for Disease Control, and Prevention
  • Diseases and Conditions
  • Traveler’s Health
• ClinicalTrials.gov

• HealthFinder: Diseases & Conditions

• MedlinePlus: Health Topics

• Merck Manual

• National Institutes of Health
  • Health Information
  • Institutes, Offices and Centers

Under the tab Consumer Information

GUIDES TO FINDING AND EVALUATING HEALTH INFORMATION ON THE WEB

• Introduction

• Content Evaluation Guidelines

• MLA Top Ten Consumer Health Information Sites

• MLA Recommended Cancer Websites

• MLA Recommended Diabetes Websites

• MLA Recommended Heart Disease Websites

Needless to say, I’ve added a link to this at my Health Resources for all Web site

Related articles

• Good Resource Tools for Medical and Health Information (sciencepowerx.wordpress.com)

 

EPA Web Tool Expands Access to Scientific, Regulatory Information on Chemicals

Environmental Protection Agency Seal (Photo credit: DonkeyHotey)

 

From the 9 September 2013 EPA press release

 

Release Date: 09/09/2013
Contact Information: Cathy Milbourn, Milbourn.cathy@epa.gov, 202-564-7849, 202-564-4355

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has launched a web-based tool, called ChemView, to significantly improve access to chemical specific regulatory information developed by EPA and data submitted under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). 

“This online tool will improve access to chemical health and safety information, increase public dialogue and awareness, and help viewers choose safer ingredients used in everyday products,” said James Jones, assistant administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. “The tool will make chemical information more readily available for chemical decision-makers and consumers.”

The ChemView web tool displays key health and safety data in an online format that allows comparison of chemicals by use and by health or environmental effects. The search tool combines available TSCA information and provides streamlined access to EPA assessments, hazard characterizations, and information on safer chemical ingredients. Additionally, the new web tool allows searches by chemical name or Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) number, use, hazard effect, or regulatory action. It has the flexibility to create tailored views of the information on individual chemicals or compare multiple chemicals sorted by use, hazard effect or other criteria. The new portal will also link to information on manufacturing, processing, use, and release data reported under the Chemical Data Reporting Rule, and the Toxics Release Inventory. 

In the months ahead, EPA will be continuously adding additional chemicals, functionality and links. When fully updated, the web tool will contain data for thousands of chemicals. EPA has incorporated stakeholder input into the design, and welcomes feedback on the current site.

By increasing health and safety information, as well as identifying safer chemical ingredients, manufacturers and retailers will have the information to better differentiate their products by using safer ingredients. 

In 2010, EPA began a concerted effort to increase the availability of information on chemicals as part of a commitment to strengthen the existing chemicals program and improve access and usefulness of chemical data and information. This included improving access to the TSCA inventory, issuing new policies for the review of confidential business information claims for health and safety studies, and launching the Chemical Data Access Tool. Today’s launch of the ChemView provides the public with a single access point for information that has been generated on certain chemicals regulated under TSCA.

View and search ChemView: http://www.epa.gov/chemview

 

 

Related articles

• Web tool expands access to scientific, regulatory chemical information (rdmag.com)
• EPA Web Tool Expands Access to Scientific, Regulatory Information on Chemicals (workers-compensation.blogspot.com)
• EPA Web Tool Expands Access To Scientific, Regulatory Information On Chemicals (wateronline.com)
• EPA Web Tool Helps Manufacturers Choose Safer Chemicals (environmentalleader.com)
• Reference: EPA Web Tool Expands Access to Scientific, Regulatory Information on Chemicals (infodocket.com)
• Highlights of EPA’s Online Chemical Database (learnatvivid.wordpress.com)
• Commercial Appraiser; FW: News Release: EPA Web Tool Expands Access to Scientific, Regulatory Information on Chemicals (commercialappraiser.typepad.com)

 

Mobile Healthcare Information For All

This is one noble cause!  However, I think that education should go hand in hand with this.
It is one thing to have access to healthcare information. Another thing to understand and be able to use information.

Still, I am hoping that telecoms get on board, and give back to their communities.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Related articles

• Healthcare IT Leaders Announces Best Healthcare IT Blogs of 2013 (hispanicbusiness.com)
• Mobile Technology is Helping Us Live Longer, Healthier Lives (business2community.com)
• Mobile Apps in Healthcare Marketing 101 (business2community.com)
• Mobiles beep health messages to women in India’s villages (thehindu.com)
• Mobile Applications and the CDC (msaltaego.wordpress.com)

 

Self-diagnosis on Google, other websites the first line of medical care for more than half of Canadians: poll

 

 

Related Resources

• Evaluating Health Information (jflahiff.wordpress.com)
• Evaluating Health Information [with links] (MedlinePlus)

Millions of consumers get health information from magazines, TV or the Internet. Some of the information is reliable and up to date; some is not. How can you tell the good from the bad?

First, consider the source. If you use the Web, look for an “about us” page. Check to see who runs the site: Is it a branch of the government, a university, a health organization, a hospital or a business? Focus on quality. Does the site have an editorial board? Is the information reviewed before it is posted? Be skeptical. Things that sound too good to be true often are. You want current, unbiased information based on research.

• FAQ: National Library of Medicine® Guide to Finding Health Information

Related articles

• Calling Dr. Google: Poll finds more than half of Canadians use web to self-diagnose (calgaryherald.com)
• Study: More Caregivers Seeking Health Information Online (money.usnews.com)

‘The View’, Jenny McCarthy, and a public health nightmare

Related article

The Anti-Vaccine  Argument – good essay placing vaccines in an evolutionary context

David L. Katz, MD, MPH, Director, Yale University Prevention Research Center

More Related articles (all sides!!)

•  Jenny McCarthy on The View: Trading experience for expertise (KevinMD.com)

• Canada: Jenny McCarthy’s new View job protested by Toronto Public Health (crofsblogs.typepad.com)
• Jenny McCarthy defeats vaccine fanatics to join ABC’s The View as co-host (dprogram.net)
• As Jenny McCarthy Joins The View Will More Children Die From Lack Of Vaccination? (guardianlv.com)
• Anger Over Anti-Vaccine Jenny McCarthy as View Host (newser.com)
• Toronto Public Health trying to get Jenny McCarthy kicked off The View (sunnewsnetwork.ca)
• Jenny McCarthy Joins The View And Wants To Talk To You About Vaccines (thegloss.com)
• Jenny McCarthy defeats vaccine fanatics to join ABC’s The View as co-host (therefusers.com)
• Toronto Public Health wants host booted from American talk show (cp24.com)
• Jenny McCarthy Is the New Girl at ‘The View’ (wwtdd.com)

You Think You Know

There’s been a lot in the news recently about the decision to hire Jenny McCarthy to replace Elizabeth Hasselback on “The View”.  I cant say that I’m particularly sad to see Hasselback go, as I was never a fan of her conservative “values” but the hiring of Jenny McCarthy – as has been pointed out by many – amounts to a public health nightmare.

For those of you who don’t know, McCarthy is a staunch believer that vaccines caused her son to have autism.  Furthermore, she is an outspoken advocate for not vaccinating children and both encourages and supports parents who choose not to do so.  McCarthy is a strong supporter of UK physician Andrew Wakefield, who published a study in 1998 showing that the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine causes autism.  That very study has been discredited as a fraud, and follow up studies have disproved Wakefield’s claim.  Despite…

View original post 462 more words

Blog Roll: Our Favorite Health Blogs

Includes areas as nutrition, healthcare, health communication, and health/medical resources

 

SurroundHealth Blog

With tons of health blogs out there today, it can be overwhelming trying to find solid ones to follow that are a good fit for your topic of interest. At SurroundHealth, we look for bloggers that align with our goals of sharing resources and best practices in areas such as: health education/communication, professional development and health careers, health and education technology, and current health events.

While this isn’t a FULL list of the blogs we follow, we thought it would be nice to share with our members and readers some of our favorite (in no specific order) health blogs out there!

Our ‘favorites’ blog roll:

Health ECareers Network– HeCN is a really informative blog providing access to everything healthcare careers- news, information, events, career resources and employment opportunities – all specific to individual career paths. Definitely a good one to check out if you are looking to learn…

View original post 290 more words

[reblog] Don’t use websites for child health, parents told

Don’t use websites for child health, parents told.

Reblog

ALLISON BRAY – 25 JUNE 2013

PARENTS have been warned against the dangers of trying to diagnose their children’s health problems using the internet.

An online poll of 1,800 mothers in April conducted by the parenting website Eumom.com found that 43pc of respondents consult the internet first when their child presents with symptoms rather than going directly to a doctor or pharmacist.Close to half of Irish mothers are using the web to diagnose conditions, a new survey reveals.

But such a practice can cause unnecessary anxiety or result in a misdiagnosis, according to Dr Conor Fitzgerald.

“Firstly, if your children have a serious condition, it might go undetected and untreated without a professional, medical examination by a doctor. Secondly, internet searches often lead parents to believe their child might have a more serious condition than is actually the case, creating unnecessary worry.”

But Dr Fitzgerald, who has a GP practice in Lucan, west Dublin, said parents should always consult a GP if they are concerned about their child’s health.

However, he added the internet could be a useful tool once a diagnosis has been made by a doctor, whereby the patient can read up on their condition.

Irish Independent

Privacy Threats When Seeking Online Health Information

From the 8 July 2013 JAMA Internal Medicine article

Patients increasingly use the Internet to access health-related information for which they are not charged.¹In turn, websites gather information from those who browse their sites and target advertisements to them. Yet this business model masks a more complicated picture.

A patient who searches on a “free” health-related website for information related to “herpes” should be able to assume that the inquiry is anonymous. If not anonymous, the information knowingly or unknowingly disclosed by the patient should not be divulged to others.

The full text is not available online.
However, it might be available at a local public, academic, or medical library. Call ahead and ask for a reference librarian.

Related articles

• The price of searching for free health information online, your privacy (blogs.mcall.com)
• Beware health searches: Web data may be leaked to third parties (zdnet.com)
• Searcher Beware: Some Websites May Leak Your Hunt For ‘Herpes’ (commonhealth.wbur.org)
• Many health websites tracking and sharing search info: study (ctvnews.ca)
• Internet Health Searches Not Private: Research (medindia.net)
• Consumer Health Websites Could Be Sharing Your Personal Data With Third Parties (medicaldaily.com)
• Patients searching for health info online face privacy threats: researcher (rawstory.com)
• Your Internet Medical Search Isn’t Private, Study Finds (webmd.com)
• Health searches may be contagious (politico.com)

 

[Partial Reblog] The Power of Patient-Expert Books

(And no, I am not advertising these books, or endorsing the contents of these books, only pointing to a trend!)

From the 4 January 2013 Huffington Post article by Riva Greenberg

Today, more and more books are being written by patients — well-educated, informed patients who manage their illness successfully and have experience, practical knowledge and insights to share with other patients.

As the new year incites a rush to become a “new, better and healthier you,” we often do so learning from our peers. When it comes to illness-warranted behavior changes, as like seeks like, it’s often easier to make changes learned from fellow patients with whom you share the experience of a disease. Like support groups and mentor programs, this is fertile soil for positive behavior change. So, I applaud the rise of patient-authors.

Patient-authors also narrate the experience of illness. That is why I hope health care professionals (HCPs) are also reading books written by patients. A book like No-Sugar Added Poetry, for example, can give HCPs immediate access to some of the emotional landscape of living with diabetes.

There is, in my mind, no easier or quicker way to tap into the experience of illness — what patients grapple with, how they feel, and the practical things that must be managed every day — than by reading a patient-written book.

When clinicians do, I believe they will become more mindful and compassionate and the relationship with their patients more trusting. And that can lead to better outcomes for both….

Read the entire article here

 

Health Resources in Multiple Languages

Those of you who follow my blog notice that from time to time I highlight multilingual health information Web sites as Healthy Roads Media.

Recently (via a US govt listserv- PHPartners) I ‘ve come across a wonderful list of general health information resources in multiple languages. This resource list is a subset of the larger  Multi-Cultural Resources for Health Information. Multi-Cultural Resources includes links in the following areas

• Cultural Competency
• Dictionaries, Glossaries, and Online Translation Tools
• Health Literacy
• Health Resources in Multiple Languages
• Interpreting in Health Care
• Law, Policy, and Standards
• Limited English Proficiency
• Multicultural Research
• Organizations and Portals
• Refugee Health Portals
• Disclaimer

Oh, I haven’t forgotten. Here is the list of Health Resources in Multiple Languages.

 

• Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition Documents in Other Languages 
  Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
• Consumer Health Information in Many Languages
  Multilingual online health resources, organized by specific
  languages, including glossaries
  National Network of Libraries of Medicine, National Library of Medicine
• EurasiaHealth Knowledge Network 
  Clearinghouse of free resources on Central & Eastern Europe and
  the New Independent States
  American International Health Alliance
  United States Agency for International Development
• Facts for Families 
  In English, Spanish, German, Malaysian, Polish, and Icelandic
  American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
• Health Access Project
  Translated Hospital Instructions
• Health Information Translations 
  Information for limited English proficiency patients translated into various languages
  The Ohio State University Medical Center, Mount Carmel Health System
  OhioHealth
• Health on the Net Select 
  Searchable database of medical and health queries
  Available in English, French, German, Spanish, and Portuguese
• Health Translations Directory 
  From Australia. Contains links to online multi-lingual resources
  Department of Human Services
  State Government of Victoria, Australia
• Healthy Roads Media 
  Site contains free health education materials in a number of languages
  and a variety of formats
  Healthy Roads Media
• Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada 
  Material available in English and French. French link found at bottom of page
  Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada
• Multilingual Health and Safety Resource Guide
  Labor Occupational Health Program, Center for Occupational and Environmental Health
  University of California at Berkeley
• Multilingual Health Information
  Stanford Health Library, Stanford University
• Free Publications for Women
  Easy-to-read pamphlets, available multiple languages
  Office of Women’s Health, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
• Patient Information Brochures for Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgery 
  Material available in English, French, Polish, Spanish, and Vietnamese
  The Society of Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons
• Resources by Language
  Health topics in 50 languages
  NSW Multicultural Health Communication Service
  New South Wales, Australia
• Translated British Columbia Health Files
  Fact sheets translated into Chinese, French, Punjabi, Spanish, and Vietnamese
  Ministry of Health, British Columbia, Canada
• Urban Health Partners
  Spotlight on Arabic language health materials and Arab American health.
  Additional materials on Culturally Responsive Health Care
  Vera P. Shiffman Medical Library, Wayne State University
• Vaccine Information in Other Languages
  Vaccine information in over 30 languages
  Immunization Action Coalition
• West Nile Virus Multilingual Fact Sheets
  Patient education materials about West Nile Virus in 22 languages
  Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care
  Government of Ontario, Canada

Related articles

• 5 tips for engaging with multilingual audiences on social media (prdaily.com)
• More Resources On Different Cultures (larryferlazzo.edublogs.org)
• Web Resources for African Languages‏ (metaglossia.wordpress.com)
• “I Read It on the Internet, So It Must Be True”: The Importance of Media Literacy (healthed.typepad.com)
• Digital Health Literacy: Separating Fact From Fiction (healthed.typepad.com)
• Internet Health Information: Be a Savvy Consumer! (julia5150.com)
• More Consumers Get Health Info On Mobile Devices (informationweek.com)

 

Consumer Health Digest Archive (and Links to Related Health Fraud Information Sites)

Enhancing Freedom of Choice through Reliable Health Information Subscribe to Consumer Health Digest

From the archive http://www.ncahf.org/digest12/index.html

Consumer Health Digest is a free weekly e-mail newsletter edited by Stephen Barrett, M.D., with help from William M. London, Ed.D., M.P.H.. It summarizes scientific reports; legislative developments; enforcement actions; other news items; Web site evaluations; recommended and nonrecommended books; research tips; and other information relevant to consumer protection and consumer decision-making. The Digest currently has 11,082 subscribers. Items posted to this archive may be updated when relevant information becomes available.

---

Issue #12-35, October 11, 2012

• Pediatricians warn against home trampoline use
• High-quality fluoride information posted
• “Life coach” loses suit against nutrition licensing board
• FTC halts dubious insurance plan

Issue #12-34, October 4, 2012

• Romney campaign embraces Lyme quackery
• Vitamin D supplementation fails to prevent colds
• Quantum quackery criticized

Issue #12-33, September 27, 2012

• Stem cell scammers plead guilty
• Prominent psychiatric critic dies
• Medifast subsidiary settles FTC charges

Issue #12-32, September 20, 2012

• Portland City Council votes to fluoridate.
• Physicist details why homeopathy is impossible
• Massachusetts will post more about disciplinary actions

Issue #12-31, September 6, 2012

• IOM publishes health-care system critique
• Ginkgo flunks another big Alzheimer’s prevention trial
• AMA specialty journals will be renamed in 2

 

Related Resources

• Don’t be fooled by health fraud scams (jflahiff.wordpress.com)
• Evaluating Health Information on the Internet (US National Cancer Institute)
  This fact sheet contains information to help people decide whether the health information they find on the Internet or receive via e-mail from a Web site is likely to be reliable.
• Quackwatch (a private corporation operated by Stephen Barrett, MD)
• Consumer’s Guide to Taking Charge of Health Information (Harvard Center for Risk Analysis)
• The Penn State Medical Center Library has a great guide to evaluate health information on the Internet.
  • The tips include
    • Remember, anyone can publish information on the internet
    • If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
    • If the Web site is primarily about selling a product, the information may be worth checking from another source.
    • Look for who is publishing the information and their education, credentials, and if they are connected with a trusted coporation, university or agency.
    • Check to see how current the information is.
    • Check for accuracy. Does the Web site refer to specific studies or organizations?
• The Family Caregiver Alliance has a Web page entitled Evaluating Medical Research Findings and Clinical Trials
  Topics include
  • General Guidelines for Evaluating Medical Research
  • Getting Information from the Web
  • Talking with your Health Care Provider
• …And a Rumor Control site of Note (in addition to Quackwatch)

   

  National Council Against Health Fraud

  National Council Against Health Fraud is a nonprofit health agency fousing on health misinformation, fruad, and quackery as public health problems. Links to publications, position papers and more.

Related articles

• Regulation of alternative medicine: why it doesn’t work, and never can (dcscience.net)
• GlaxoSmithKline Plea – Largest Health Care Fraud Settlement (lawprofessors.typepad.com)
• “What Doctors Don’t Tell You” magazine – reviewed in BMJ and Quackometer (jflahiff.wordpress.com)
• Health care fraud infographic (pathologyblawg.com)
• Dr. Stephen Barrett of Quackwatch Fame Still Needs Help (lizditz.typepad.com)

 

Ask a Scientist [Howard Hughes Medical Institute]

 

From the Web page

Ask a Scientist connects you to some of the top scientists in the country, and each of them is connected to the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. If you’ve got a question about medicine, human biology, animals, biochemistry, microbiology, genetics, or evolution, then please, Ask A Scientist

Links include

• Homework Help
• Science Fair Projects
• Personal Health

 

14 Ways Social Media May Soon Change Your Doctor’s Visit

Although this article has a good deal of advertising and most links are to commercial sites, the content seems to be a good summary of possible futures of doctor visits. Overall it seems that social media can improve the doctor-patient relationship.

From 14 Ways Social Media May Soon Change Your Doctor’s Visits  (May 15, 2012 article at The Sociable Blog)

In 2006, Pew Research Forum discovered that 80% of American adults used the Internet to research medical information. By 2011, data (separately) compiled by Frost and Sullivan and QuantiaMD showed between 87% to 90% of physicians used at least one social media site for personal reasons, with a further 67% to 75% opting for more professional postings. LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, blogging, and the like stand poised to change the face of healthcare in the exact same manner it pretty much did for most other industries.

 

Medical professionals — not just doctors — have discovered some creative (and not-so-creative) ways to apply the technology to many different aspects of their field, meaning savvy, Internet-literate patients should stay on the lookout for what might lay ahead.

1. Better Information and Support……

Related articles

• QUOTE: patient-doctor relationship and social media (scienceintelligence.wordpress.com)
• The Social Health Correction (33charts.com)
• How Healthcare Professionals Can Improve Patient Relationships (scrubnotes.com)

Grasping and even celebrating uncertainty ( How Journalists Can Aid Critical Thinking in Healthcare Decisions) With Resources By Yours Truly

As you regular followers of this blog realize, I champion critical thinking and hope at least some of these blog posts have fostered this approach to selecting what is best for one’s health.
Many of my posts caution against quick fixes, be it fad diets, supplement dependence, or use of potentially harmful complementary medicine substances. To be fair, I have also posted items questioning “Western medicine” practices as when robotic surgery is appropriate.

Gary Schwitzer at HealthNewsReview.org has posted yet another item on how journalists can help us all in healthcare decisions..
Excerpts

Marya Zilberberg posted, “Fast science: No time for uncertainty.”  Excerpt:

“…my anxiety about how we do clinical science overall is not new; this blog is overrun with it. However, the new branch of that anxiety relates to something I have termed “fast science.” Like fast food it fills us up, but the calories are at best empty and at worst detrimental. What I mean is that science is a process more than it is a result, and this process cannot and should not be microwaved….

So, let’s celebrate uncertainty. Let’s take time to question, answer and question again. Slow down, take a deep breath, cook a slow meal and think.”

That’s similar to how I ended my talk at the University of Wisconsin’s event, “Science Writing in the Age of Denial” this week.  I said that:

“Journalists could help people grasp uncertainty and help them apply critical thinking to health care decision-making issues…rather than promote false certainty, shibboleths and non-evidence-based, cheerleading advocacy.”

My talk to University of Wisconsin event, “Science Writing in Age of Denial”

View more PowerPoint from Gary Schwitzer

Related Resources (from my Health/Medical  News & Resources Web site)

• The Penn State Medical Center Library has a great guide to evaluate health information on the Internet.

  The tips include

  • Remember, anyone can publish information on the internet!
  • If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
    If the Web site is primarily about selling a product, the information may be worth checking from another source.
  • Look for who is publishing the information and their education, credentials, and if they are connected with a trusted coporation, university or agency.
  • Check to see how current the information is.
  • Check for accuracy. Does the Web site refer to specific studies or organizations?
• The Family Caregiver Alliance has a Web page entitled Evaluating Medical Research Findings and Clinical Trials

Topics include

• General Guidelines for Evaluating Medical Research
• Getting Information from the Web
• Talking with your Health Care Provider

• Consumer’s Guide to Taking Charge of Health Information (Harvard Center for Risk Analysis)
• How to Evaluate Health Information on the Internet (US National Cancer Institute)9iiu9
• Quackwatch (a private corporation operated by Stephen Barrett, MD)

…And a Rumor Control site of Note (in addition to Quackwatch)

National Council Against Health Fraud

National Council Against Health Fraud is a nonprofit health agency fousing on health misinformation, fruad, and quackery as public health problems. Links to publications, position papers and more.

Health in a Hair Salon: Outreach Project Rooted in Beauty Shop

From the article at NLM Focus

…Finding health information in a hair salon may seem like an odd combination, but it makes perfect sense. In addition to owning MaFlo’s, Lance-Robb teaches health and computer classes at the local library on her day off. And the computers with Wi-Fi Internet access at MaFlo’s are part of an innovative program that seeks to bring health information to underserved people. The funding comes from the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM), Southeastern/Atlantic Region (SE/A). The National Network of Libraries of Medicine, anchored by eight Regional Medical Libraries and coordinated by the National Library of Medicine, was created to help health providers and the public access health information no matter where they live or work. “We try to go to where the people are,” says Nancy Patterson, the Community Outreach Coordinator for Southeastern/Atlantic Regional Medical Library. “I call it ‘thinking inside the blocks.'” …

Related articles

• Barbers: Cut, Shave, Lower Your Blood Pressure (jflahiff.wordpress.com)

• Cleveland-area beauty salon, barbershop workers trained to talk to clients about health screenings (Cleveland.com)

Google knows more about certain diseases than physicians ever will

Hmm…  interesting “point” “counterpoint” items on finding health information on the Web

• Google knows more about certain diseases than physicians ever will
• Don’t rely on Dr Google for health information on the wild, wild web

Overall, I think Google and other search engines are doing a better job of locating health information.
However, it is good to keep in mind that search engines rank items, they do not evaluate them!
So, search safely, knowing that search engines do not index 100% of what is available on the World Wide Web.

If you do decide to find health information on the Web, please evaluate content carefully!
Health Information is best used in consultation with a professional health care provider (or 2!)

A few good guides on evaluating health information may be found at

• Evaluating Health Information(MedlinePlus)
• Understanding Medical Research (patientInform)
• Toolkit – a number of tipsheets, primers, links and other resources to help journalists and consumers do a better job of evaluating claims about health care interventions. (HealthNewsReview.org)
• [from] Evaluating Health Information on the Internet (Penn State University)

Unlike information found in medical textbooks, which has been evaluated and edited by professionals, the information on the Internet is unfiltered. It is up to the user to evaluate and judge how good the information really is. When looking for health information it is particularly important to think about the information critically and examine the Web site carefully. Listed below are some questions and tips to think about when searching for good health information on the Internet.

What type of site is it? Is it a government site, educational or commercial? Look at the web address for the extension. The most common are .gov for government, .edu for educational, .com for commercial and .org for organizational.

Who is sponsoring the site? A good Web site will make sponsorship information clear. There should also be an address (besides an e-mail address) or a phone number to contact for more information.

What are the credentials of the sponsor or author of the material on site? If it is an organization or association, is it nationally recognized or is it a local group? Also, are the author’s qualifications relevant to the topic being discussed? For example, someone with a Ph.D. in psychology should not necessarily be accepted as an expert on nutrition.

What is the purpose of the site? Is it a public service or is it trying to sell something? If there is advertising on a page, something that is more and more common even with non-commercial sites, it should be clearly separated from the informational content. Also, it is easy to disguise promotional material as “patient education” on web sites. If a product or treatment is given a good review on one site, try to find other sites that also approve of it.

How current is the information? A good site will list when a page was first established and when it was last up-dated. If there are links to other sites, are they up-to-date?

How accurate is the information? This can be hard to determine if you’re not familiar with a topic but there are some things to look for. For example, is the information free of spelling errors and typos? Mistakes of these kind can indicate a lack of quality control. Are the sources of factual information listed? For instance, if a document states, “recent studies indicate…”, are the sources for the study listed so they can be verified? If a topic is controversial, is the information presented in a balanced way? There are many controversies in regard to treatment options; however, a good site will present the pros and cons of a particular option. Be cautious with sites that claim “miracle cures” or make conspiracy claims.

Evaluate each site separately. Links can often lead from a good site to ones of lesser quality.

Look for awards or certificates that a site has received. For example, the HON Code logo is displayed by sites that have agreed to abide by eight principals set by the Health on the Net Foundation. These principles set standards for accuracy, bias, sponsorship and confidentiality. When using a directory or search engine that rates sites, read the page that discusses what criteria are used to determine a site’s rating.

The Internet is a wonderful source of information and, when used carefully, can be very helpful in answering health-related questions. But the information found on the Internet should never be used as a substitute for consulting with a health professional. And, whenever using the Internet, keep in mind the caveat, “It is so easy to post information on the Internet that almost any idiot can do it, and almost every idiot has.”

Related articles

• Misleading information on health social sites (and tips on how to evaluate health/medical information) (jflahiff.wordpress.com)
• Search Engine Optimization And The Best Tips Available Today (ronmedlin.com)
• Basics of SEO (primeempire.com)
• What is the best health information on the internet? The ‘I have’ project (stwem.com)
• The Secret Lives of Healthcare Information Seekers (marketingvox.com)
• Don’t just Google: Try Google Scholar (onlinecollege.org)

 

And finally, a few good places to start finding reputable, timely health information

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the US governments primary way to communicate information on diseases, conditions, and safety. Information may be found in areas as …. Data and Statistics Diseases and Conditions (with an A-Z    index) Emergencies and Disasters Environmental Health Healthy Living Injury, Violence and Safety eMedicine Consumer Health has over 900 health and medical articles. Most articles include causes, symptoms, treatment options, prevention, prognosis, and more. Information may also be browsed by topic (Topics A-Z).  Additional features include picture slideshows, health calculators, and more. Familydoctor.org includes health information for the whole family Short generalized information on Diseases and Conditions (with A-Z index), Health Information for Seniors, Men, and Women, Healthy Living Topics, pages geared to Parents & Kids, and videos.  Numerous health tools in the left column (as health trackers, health assessments, and a Search by Symptom page.   Healthfinder.gov is a US government Web site with information and tools that can help you stay healthy. Resources on a wide range of health topics carefully selected from over 1,600 government and non-profit organizations. Social media options to connect you with people and organizations that can help you on your journey to living a healthier life. Content includes information on over 1,600 health-related topics, Quick Guide to Healthy Living, and free interactive tools to check your health, get personalized advice, and keep track of your progress. KidsHealth provides information about health, behavior, and development from before birth through the teen years. Material is written by doctors in understandable language at three levels: parents, kids, and teens KidsHealth also provides families with perspective, advice, and comfort about a wide range of physical, emotional, and behavioral issues that affect children and teens.

 

amednews: Why patients are turning less to media and friends for health information :: Dec. 26, 2011 … American Medical News

 

Image via Wikipedia

amednews: Why patients are turning less to media and friends for health information :: Dec. 26, 2011 … American Medical News

Excerpts from the 26 December 2011 news item of the American Medical Association (AMA)

Consumers’ access to physicians and the quality of information available are affecting their level of interest in seeking outside guidance on their conditions.

By PAMELA LEWIS DOLAN, amednews staff. Posted Dec. 26, 2011.

 

As patient visits to physicians have declined, so has their interest in finding information relating to their health.

The waning interest in information-seeking as patient visits fall is what the Center for Studying Health System Change called a “surprising” conclusion to a survey of 17,000 patients released in November. Visits to physicians dropped 4% between 2007 and 2010. Meanwhile, the percentage of American adults seeking information about a personal health concern in the previous 12 months decreased from 55.5% to 50% in the same period, it said.

Analysts said there probably are multiple reasons for that. The trend could reflect that when patients are less able to see a physician, they are less likely to be engaged in their health. It could be that with physician visits down, patients have more time to spend with their doctor, meaning they have less of a need for outside sources of information.

And they said the decline could reflect that so much information is available — and so much of it conflicting — that some overwhelmed patients may be opting out altogether from researching their health.

For physicians, analysts said, the implication of the study is that when patients come into their offices, they are going to rely on them more than ever for help in managing their health.

1 in 5 patients has delayed or canceled a doctor visit, medical test or procedure in the past year.

The sources of information the center studied were the Internet, print media, television and radio, and friends and relatives. Internet was the only source that went up, to 32.6% from 31.1%. But center researcher Ha T. Tu wrote that the growth failed to keep pace with a strong rise in residential broadband Internet access, which went up from 47% to 66% between 2007 and 2010….

Read the entire news article

Related articles

• How much guidance do patients want with their medical decisions? (jflahiff.wordpress.com)
• Epatients: The hackers of the healthcare world [O’Reilly Radar] (jflahiff.wordpress.com)

Medical Reference for Non-Medical Librarians (most resources are free and online)

Medical Reference for Non-Medical Librarians.

Great advice and nice listing/categorizing of links

Contents of this site include

• General Tips on how to assist customers/patrons/patients
• General Online Health/Medical resources
• Popular medical guides
• Dictionaries
• Evidence Based Medicine Resources
• Disease,Diagnosis,Treament
• Nutrition
• Drugs
• Mental Health
• Diagnostic Tests
• Alternative Therapies
• Ask an Expert

 

Related articles

• Think Cultural Health – An Informative Web Site from the US Office of Minority Health (jflahiff.wordpress.com)
• Misleading information on health social sites (and tips on how to evaluate health/medical information) (jflahiff.wordpress.com)
• Consult with a librarian to find information more efficiently and effectively! (peer reviewed study summary) (jflahiff.wordpress.com)

[Online Resource]Digital Librarian: a librarian’s choice of the best of the Web

Digital Librarian: a librarian’s choice of the best of the Web.

Digital Librarian is a carefully selected list of great resources on just about every t0pic one would expect covered in a public library setting.

Librarian Margaret Vail Anderson updates this listing almost every month.

Of particular interest in the health/science areas are

• Food & Drink
• Health and Medicine
• Psychology
• Search Tools

Fee based health info may be free online through your library’s Web site

The Internet has a wealth of health information from trusted, reliable sites.
(I’ve noted quite a few in this blog and at my Google site – Health and Medical News and Resources)

However, it is not always easy to locate health information, especially on specific topics.

Your local public or academic library just may have the online sources you need.
Although quite a few online resources require paid subscriptions, your library may have included them at their Web site.
All you have to do is register for borrowing privileges (get a library card) at your local library.
Alternatively, you may be able to just go to the library and get access through their computers.

At my local library, I discovered the following…some or all just might be at your library also…ask a reference librarian or check the library’s Web site

• Alt Health Watch 
  Offers information about Alternative Health issues, including complementary, holistic and integrated approaches to health care and wellness. Provides full text articles form a number of sources, including: journals, reports, consumer newsletters, pamphlets, booklets, special reports, original research and book excerpts. This database is provided by OPLIN, the Ohio Public Library Information Network.
• ConsumerReports.org
  Ratings and reviews, recommendations and buying advice for thousands of products and services. Users will also find in-depth advice, tips and trends written by Consumer Reports experts. Frequently updated articles, blogs and video content allow consumers to peruse the latest consumer news — whether they’re looking to learn more about budget-friendly home improvement plans, understanding the benefits and risks of retirement options, or searching for the latest recalls of baby products. This database provided by the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library.
• Health & Wellness Resource Center
  Provides up-to-date reference material as well as full-text magazines, journals, and pamphlets from a wide variety of authoritative medical sources. Includes streaming videos featuring medical experts plus links to key health websites.
• Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition
  Provides scholarly full text journals focusing on many medical disciplines and featuring the Lexi-PAL Drug Guide, which covers 1,300 generic drug patient education sheets with more than 4,700 brand names. This database is provided by OPLIN, the Ohio Public Library Information Network.
• MEDLINE
  Offers medical information on medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, the health care system and pre-clinical sciences among many subjects. This database is provided by OPLIN, the Ohio Public Library Information Network.
• Psychology & Behavioral Sciences Collection
  Covers many psychological topics, including emotional and behavioral characteristics, psychiatry and psychology, mental processes, anthropology, and observational and experimental methods. This database is provided by OPLIN, the Ohio Public Library Information Network.

Related Resources

• How to obtain free/low cost medical and scientific articles(jflahiff.wordpress.com)
  • Some publishers which provide free or low cost articles (via PatientInform)
    • Elsevier Patient Research provides single copies of articles for $4.95. Elsevier publishes over 2,000 journals.
    • AACR’s (American Association for Cancer Research) policy for free patient access to medical articles—“If You Need It, You Can Read It”—can be found under Information for Readers/Subscribers.
    • The Endocrine Society For Patients page provides information on how to obtain free articles from its six endocrine research journals.
• “Summaries for Patients” and other plain language summaries help patients and others understand medical studies and guidelines (jflahiff.wordpress.com)

Related articles

• Search the Office of Minority Health’s Library Catalog Online | Health Information Literacy – for health and well being (jflahiff.wordpress.com)
• A Consumer Health Toolkit for Library Staff and the Rest of Us(jflahiff.wordpress.com)
• Cochrane Reviews – A Great Source for Sound Medical Evidence(jflahiff.wordpress.com)

• Free Databases from the US Government (jflahiff.wordpress.com)
• Health Information from the US National Library of Medicine (NLM)

Medicine and Social Media Links from Science Roll

The Web site Science Roll is published by ” Bertalan Meskó,MD. He  graduated from the University of Debrecen, Medical School and Health Science Center in 2009 and started PhD in the field of personalized genomics. He is the founder of Webicina.com, a free service curating medical social media resources in 17 languages. He thinks medical education and communication between physicians and patients will be revolutionized with the tools and services of web 2.0.”

The Medicine and Social Media page includes links in the following areas

• The first Internet in Medicine University Credit Course:
• Education and RSS
• Wikis, medical databases
• Medical search engines, tools
• Medical communities
• Podcast, Vidoecast
• Open access and journalism
• Sites, links, news, and reviews
• Online docs and reputations

 

HealthTap – A Free Interactive Heath Network Staffed by Physicians

[Please visit the related articles for the pros and cons of HealthTap.
Yes, HealthTap is free and staffed by physicians.
However, the answers are short and may not be tailored to your specific needs. Nothing can replace consulting with a health care provider at an office visit.
The Forbes article below concludes “you’re getting a few sentences of free medical advice from a group of random physicians, with reputations attested to by other random physicians, who are taking the time to answer your question for free either because of a desire to generate new business or a desire to help their Fellow Man.”

HealthTap seems to be a good tool. However it is  only an information source, and not a substitute for personal care by one’s health care provider.]

HealthTap healthtap.com

“HealthTap is an Interactive Health Network dedicated to improving everyone’s health and well-being. We do this by providing free online and mobile answers from thousands of leading physicians to your health questions, and by personalizing health information for you. HealthTap helps people better understand their health, make the best decisions for themselves and their families, and find the best doctors. We also help physicians better serve their existing patients and find new ones, while demonstrating their expertise and helping people everywhere.”

From the 26 2011 blog post  HEALTHTAP: A SOCIAL NETWORK WITH ALL THE (HEALTH) ANSWERS? 

Health Tap puts medical minds at the fingertips of its users. By doing so, it indirectly tailors information to the user’s needs..I was recently sick with a viral infection and my first thought was to type in my symptoms online. According to Google keyword tool, I’m not the only one. For the word “treatment”, Google gets about 37 million searches each month. For each of the words “sick”, “fever” and “symptom” Google receives about 7 million searches per month. The consumer health market is clearly there to support a site like Health Tap.

Benefits for Consumers

If the initial internet search happens regardless, it is more convenient for individuals to get their information from real physicians than from general sites like Wikipedia or Yahoo Answers, the former being too exhaustive and the latter lacking consistent credibility. The breadth of information that is already available on trustworthy sites such as WebMD and Mayo Clinic **will remain there for those who want exhaustive information.

Benefit for Physicians

By using the site, doctors can help people beyond the scope of their practice. They can also manage their professional internet presence in a less time-consuming manner than they can in a full blog. All they have to do is list their affiliations, connect to other physicians, and answer questions thoughtfully….
Added Value to Health Care 

Does HealthTap add value to the health care or the practice of medicine? No, at least not yet. It does, however, adds to the value of social media. Social networks have become a reflection of what is present in the general public consciousness. Health care deserves a spot in that collective consciousness. Social networks are also useful for facilitating communication. Health Tap could support doctor-patient communication, especially between PCPs and their patients. As far as improving the practice of medicine, Health Tap is not there yet. However, if it can gain mass adoption, leveraging its influence to improve the health care system could be incredible.

** For a short list of trustworthy sites, please see General Guides with links (at Health and Medical News/Resources) by yours truly

 Related articles

• Doctor Q&A site raises $11.5M; now it needs more patients (news.cnet.com)
• HealthTap Uncovers The Secret Knowledge Network Of Doctors, Online (fastcompany.com)
• Is HealthTap Your New (Virtual) MD? (forbes.com)
• What about HealthTap? (scienceroll.com)
• HealthTap’s Social Network of 5,000 Doctors Is Ready to Give Free Advice (tissuepathology.com)
• The Emperor’s New Social Network (thehealthcareblog.com)

Surprising Decline in Consumers Seeking Health Information

Surprising Decline in Consumers Seeking Health Information

Tracking Report No. 26
November 2011
Ha T. Tu

In 2010, 50 percent of American adults sought information about a personal health concern, down from 56 percent in 2007, according to a new national study from the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC). The likelihood of people seeking information from the Internet and from friends and relatives changed little between 2007 and 2010, but their use of hardcopy books, magazines and newspapers dropped by nearly half to 18 percent. While the reduced tendency to seek health information applied to consumers across nearly all demographic categories, it was most pronounced for older Americans, people with chronic conditions and people with lower-education levels. Across all individual characteristics, education level remained the factor most strongly associated with consumers’ inclination to seek health information. Consumers who actively researched health concerns widely reported positive impacts: About three in five said the information affected their overall approach to maintaining their health, and a similar proportion said the information helped them to better understand how to treat an illness or condition.

• Overall Health Information Seeking Declines
• Print Media Use Falls Sharply
• Education Level Remains Key
• Impact of Information Seeking
• Implications
• Notes
• Data Source
• Supplementary Tables

Related articles

• Study Finds Decline in Patients Seeking Consumer Health Info (climbingthestacks.wordpress.com)
• Consumer Interest In Health Information Wanes (informationweek.com)
• Seeking information and making approriate health choices is not optional (face2facemedia.wordpress.com)

Patients want to understand the medical literature (with links to resources for patients)

http://medicalcenter.osu.edu/patientcare/library_for_health_information/Pages/index.aspx

From the Science Intelligence blog item

Findings of a recent  study by JISC:

Publishing a lay summary alongside every research article could be the answer to assisting in the wider understanding of health-related information. 

Patients Participate! asked patients, the public, medical research charities and the research community, ‘How can we work together in making sense of scientific literature, to truly open up research findings for everyone who is interested?’ The answer came from patients who explained that they want easy-to-understand, evidence-based information relating to biomedical and health research. 

Some universities now offer researchers training in communicating with lay audiences. (…)

JISC believes that publicly-funded research should be made available for everyone and be easy to find. JISC funded this work to show how making access to scientific literature enables citizen-patients to participate in the research process, therefore providing mutual understanding and better links between scientists, medic, patients and the general public.

http://www.jisc.ac.uk/news/stories/2011/10/participate.aspx

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“Summaries for Patients” and other plain language summaries help patients and others understand medical studies and guidelines

“Summaries for Patients

“Summaries for Patients” are brief, non-technical summaries of studies and clinical guidelines published inAnnals of Internal Medicine. The Summaries aim to explain these published articles to people who are not health care providers.

• Summaries about studies describe how researchers did the published study and what they found.
• Summaries about clinical guidelines describe the official recommendations for patient care developed by official groups such as the US Preventive Services Task Force or the American College of Physicians.

To search for summaries, click on New Search (top of middle column) at “Summaries for Patients”
Once at the New Search Page (http://www.annals.org/search), be sure to check Summaries for Patients , under Limit Results by Section (Articles Published After 1927)

Here are excerpts from a recent Summaries for Patients, Who Reports Having More Pain at the End of Life?

What is the problem and what is known about it so far?

Pain at the end of life is everyone’s great fear, but we still do not know enough about what makes pain worse at the end of life. Studies of pain near death have mostly looked at specific types of patients, such as those with cancer or those who are in a hospice program in which a patient’s comfort and reducing pain is a main focus of care. Other studies have asked family members about their deceased or dying relative’s experience of pain in the last months of life, but these reports are affected by their feelings about the pain of their loved one. In addition, studies have generally not examined patients from national surveys that offer broader understanding of patients’ experience of moderate to clinically significant pain at the end of life.

What did the researchers find?

Among the more than 4700 patients in the study, about 25% had clinically significant pain. However, the proportion experiencing significant pain increased to nearly 50% in the last 4 months before death. One of the most important things that affected the amount of pain was having arthritis. Surprisingly, the reason that a person was dying, such as heart disease or cancer, was not associated with important differences in the amount of pain.

What were the limitations of the study?

No information about treatment for pain was provided, and the study did not follow specific patients over time to see how their pain changed. Some people with arthritis might have had pain from something else that they mistakenly thought was arthritis.

What are the implications of the study?

Physicians and patients are not good at knowing when death is close, so it is important long before the last few months of life to discuss pain and ways to reduce it. Arthritis may be an important cause of pain or death that could be reduced by lifestyle changes long before death.

patientINFORM plain language summary Web sites are provided by participating publishers to help patients or their caregivers more fully understand the implications of research and to provide links to the full text of research articles they’ve selected from participating journals. The publishers allow readers following links from patientINFORM material on the health organizations’ sites to access the full text of these articles without a subscription, and they provide patients and caregivers with free or reduced-fee access to other articles in participating journals.

• American Cancer Society (News Center)
• American Association for the Advancement of Science  (Eureka Alert- Medicine and Health)
• American Diabetes Association (Access: Diabetes Research)
• American Heart Association
• Lupus Foundation of America (Research Summaries)
• National Breast Cancer Coalition
• National Organization for Rare Disorders
• American Society of Hematology Articles for patients from the ASH education book can be accessed via the patient section of ASH’s web site under Other Resources.
• Journal of Rehabilitation Research and DevelopmentFor its nontechnical readers (e.g., veterans, patients, and caregivers), JRRD publishes plain-language summaries in each issue that describe the purpose and explain who may benefit from the research. These summaries are useful tools that keep patients and interested individuals informed of current research and encourage discussion of research between patients and their healthcare providers.

The Cochrane Collaboration

Working together to provide the best evidence for health care

Cochrane Collaboration provides systematic reviews of the strongest evidence available about healthcare interventions (as drugs and medical procedures).  It does not cover all interventions, but those covered were reviewed  in-depth by experts in the medical and library fields.
The main activity of the Collaboration is the preparation of Cochrane reviews that are published electronically in successive issues of The Cochrane Library. These Cochrane reviews investigate the effects of interventions for prevention, treatment and rehabilitation. They also assess the accuracy of a diagnostic test for a given condition in a specific patient group and setting.
[Click here to find more information about the use of the evidence to inform decision making in health care ]

Here is how to find plain language  and audio summaries of Cochrane reviews

• Go to the Cochrane Collaboration home page and scroll down to Browse Free Summaries.
  Topics include Breast Cancer, Dementia and Cognitive Improvement, and Complementary Medicine.
• Click on To the Cochrane Library in the upper right corner of the Cochrance Collaboration home page.
  This Cochrane Library search page has a Help page , and an Advanced Search option.
  
  

Related Blog Items 

• How to read a research paper (and also understand medical/health news items)

Cannot find a plain language summary with the above resources?

Consider asking a reference librarian for help at your local public, academic, or hospital library. Many academic and hospital libraries provide at least limited reference service to the public.
Call or email them for information about their services.

You may also contact me at jmflahiff@msncom.  I will do my best to reply within 48 hours.

Misleading information on health social sites (and tips on how to evaluate health/medical information)

http://www.shockmd.com/2008/09/05/youre-never-to-old-to-learn-computer-skills/

 

 

From the Science Intelligence and InfoPros site

Social networking sites like Facebook and YouTube can be powerful platforms to deliver and receive healthcare information, especially for patients and caregivers who are increasingly going online to connect and share experiences with others with similar medical issues or concerns. However, these sites may lack patient-centered information and can also be sources of misleading information that could potentially do more harm than good, according to the results of two separate social media-related studies…
Medical News Today: 1st of November, 2011.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/236877.php
iHealthBeat:
http://m.ihealthbeat.org/articles/2011/11/1/researchers-say-online-health-information-could-be-misleading.aspx

 

 

And, of course, when looking for or evaluating health information….it is always a good idea to consult with a healthcare professional and/or a professional librarian.

At the very least… evaluate the information objectively!

 

 

Related articles and Web sites

How to evaluate medical and health information

• Evaluating Internet health information (Penn State)
• Evaluating Medical Research Findings and Clinical Trials (Family Caregiver Alliance)
• A Consumer’s Guide to Taking Charge of Health Information (Harvard Center for Risk Alliance)
• Evaluating Health Information on the Internet (National Cancer Institute)
• Quackwatch: Your Guide to Quackery, Health Fraud, and Intelligent Decisions (Stephen Barrett, M.D.)

Great starting places for quality health and medical information

• MedlinePlus (US National Library of Medicine/National Institutes of Health)
  Links to information on over 700 diseases/conditions, drugs & supplements, videos & tools (as health calculators, anatomy     videos, directories (as Find an Eye Doctor), and links to organizations

• UpToDate For Patients
  Click on the Patient Information tab to find free information written for patients. These topics help one to learn more about a medical condition, better understand management and treatment options, and have a better dialogue with health care providers. This free information is adapted from the subscription based service UpToDate (which is for and by physicians and researchers).
• US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
  Includes Health Topics A to Z, and sections  as Diseases and Conditions as  Healthy Living
• eMedicine Consumer Health
  Comprehensive continuously updated health and medical information written by physicians. Information on specific diseases/conditions includes overviews, causes, diagnosis, treatments, outlook, and additional links. Slideshows, images, pictures,medications, and quizzes.
  emedicine.com is geared towards health professionals. However it is free to all who register.

•  But Wait, There’s More!
• Online consumer health guides, as Consumer Health (University of Toledo), Consumer Health (University of Florida), Consumer Health Guide (University of California)
  Libguides are written by librarians on every subject imaginable. They are free to all.
• Never underestimate the finding power of a librarian.

Many academic and medical institutions offer at least some reference services to the general public.  Be sure to ask for a reference librarian. He or she not only has a master’s degree in Library Science, but often additional related education in health related areas.

• Consumer Health Toolkit for Library Staff  (jflahiff.wordpress.com)
• Healthy Roads Media  and other sources of quality health information in many languages and multiple formats (jflahiff.wordpress.com)
• Misleading Statistical Information in Ads: A Drug Ad Analyzed and Related Evaluation Resources(jflahiff.wordpress.com)
• Purchasing Pet Drugs Online: Buyer Beware (video) (jflahiff.wordpress.com)
• Meet e-patient Dave – a voice of patient engagement (and related resources) (jflahiff.wordpress.com)
• When PubMed searching yields few good results – 28 biomedical literature search tools evaluated (jflahiff.wordpress.com)

Study: 26 percent are mobile health users

From the 19 November 2011 mobilehealth article

By: Chris Gullo

Tags: Cybercitizen Health | Manhattan Research | mobile health adoption | wireless industry metrics |

 

iTriage: One of the relatively few health apps that boasts millions of users.

 

Some 26 percent of US adults used their mobile phones to access health information in the past year, according to a new Cybercitizen Health study by Manhattan Research. The number has nearly doubled from the 12 percent reported in 2010.

According to the study, looking up health information or reading health-related news remains the most popular mobile health activity. The survey polled 8,745 adults online and via phone during the third quarter of 2011.

Another interesting metric: 8 percent of consumers used prescription drug refill or reminder services on their mobile phones, up from 3 percent in 2011.

“Growth in mobile health is impressive, but still in line with our and several health stakeholders’ expectations,” stated Monique Levy, VP of Research at Manhattan Research in a press release. “The interesting part is when, how and from where mobile phones are being used. Getting these details will impact the success of mobile investments in 2011 and 2012.”

While not specifically mobile-related, worth noting that the report found some 56 million US consumers had accessed their medical information on an electronic health record (EHR) system maintained by their physician, with an additional 41 million expressing interest in doing so in the future.

Related articles

• Call for mobile phone health warnings despite ‘inconclusive’ evidence (telegraph.co.uk)
• Emerging market for mobile health products (trendsspotting.com)
• New Report: The Internet Has More Influence Over Consumer Health Actions than Traditional DTC Channels (prweb.com)
• Who are the Top 11 Mobile Health Innovators in 2011? (prweb.com)
• Oncologists Visit Pharma Sites and Post Professional Content Online More Frequently than the Average Physician (prweb.com)
• Mobile health has huge potential in the Middle East, industry study says (thenextweb.com)

Tracking Public Health Trends With Twitter

From the 7 July 2011 Medical News Today article

Twitter allows millions of social media fans to comment in 140 characters or less on just about anything: an actor’s outlandish behavior, an earthquake’s tragic toll or the great taste of a grilled cheese sandwich.

But by sifting through this busy flood of banter, is it possible to also track important public health trends? Two Johns Hopkins University computer scientists would respond with a one-word tweet: “Yes!”

Mark Dredze and Michael J. Paul fed 2 billion public tweets posted between May 2009 and October 2010 into computers, then used software to filter out the 1.5 million messages that referred to health matters. Identities of the tweeters were not collected by Dredze, a researcher at the university’s Human Language Technology Center of Excellence and an assistant research professor of computer science, and Paul, a doctoral student. ….
….”Our goal was to find out whether Twitter posts could be a useful source of public health information, ” Dredze said. “We determined that indeed, they could. In some cases, we probably learned some things that even the tweeters’ doctors were not aware of, like which over-the-counter medicines the posters were using to treat their symptoms at home.”

By sorting these health-related tweets into electronic “piles,” Dredze and Paul uncovered intriguing patterns about allergies, flu cases, insomnia, cancer, obesity, depression, pain and other ailments. ….

…Other tweets pointed to misuse of medicine. “We found that some people tweeted that they were taking antibiotics for the flu,” Paul said. “But antibiotics don’t work on the flu, which is a virus, and this practice could contribute to the growing antibiotic resistance problems. So these tweets showed us that some serious medical misperceptions exist out there.”

Bringing Health Information to the Community Blog Goes National!

From the Cornflower item

The Bringing Health Information to the Community blog (fondly referred to as the BHIC blog) was developed by the NN/LM MidContinental Region (NN/LM MCR) about four years ago as a way to provide information to staff at community based organizations and public health departments, clinics, and others outside of libraries that the MCR staff encountered in their outreach efforts. It was also created as a tool to be used by NN/LM MCR members to share information with people within their institutions and communities.

With the new NLM contract, the BHIC blog has moved over to become a national blog, and staff at four other RMLs (including the GMR!) will be contributing writers. The new URL is http://nnlm.gov/bhic/.

If you want to receive a daily digest of the BHIC blog postings, just email Siobhan Champ-Blackwell, at siobhan at creighton.edu, and you will be added to a distribution LISTSERV. The distribution list sends out only one email a day. You can subscribe directly to the blog and get an email each time a posting is made (4-5 emails a day). An RSS feed is also available.

According to Siobhan, “We are excited that the BHIC blog is recognized as a national resource, and we are looking forward to the growth that will occur through the participation of the other RMLs”. The GMR is proud to be a contributor to this great resource.