Health Source – Consumer Edition
Discovery Exercise:
1. In Health Source – Consumer Edition, click on the Publications link at the top of the page and explore the types of magazines and journals indexed in the database.
Seeing as I love the health field, this is a fascinating area to explore! While I have searched some specific information in this section before, I had never explored the publications link. I explored by the alphabetical listing, the tried searching by subject. There is a wealth of information about healthy backs and I discovered a fun read with "Proverbs for Program People • Lessons for Life A Do It Now Foundation Publication by Hal Ackerman". Parenting seems to be well covered as well as drug and pharmaceutical information. Even AARP magazine was represented! Guess I am disclosing my age generation here!
2. Search for a disease or condition, such as diabetes. Sort your results by the most current publication date by clicking on the ‘Relevance Sort’ option.
With diabetes running in the family, this was a logical search. When sorting to the most current publications, I found a nice article on the benefits of eating nuts to help prevent type 2 diabetes.
AMA
3. Pick one of the articles you found and read through the full text. Was the article written in terms you could understand without consulting a medical dictionary?
The reference cited above was very easy to understand for the average reader. No need for a medical dictionary!
MedlinePlus is produced by the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health. All the content in this resource is written with the consumer in mind. You’ll find overviews of medical conditions, pamphlets that can be printed, videos of surgical procedures and much more.
Discovery Exercise:
1. Go to Medline Plus
I did check out Medline as well as Medline Plus. Medline Plus is available on line at: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ and it seems to be geared for the general consumer to understand. I did some searching on Medline in MARVEL, and the articles were very professional, and detailed, for the scientists and doctors who would be using them as resources.
2. Look at a few of the links on the main page. What’s in the news column on the right side? Indicate in your blog post what some of the top searches are as listed on the left side of the page
3. Click on tab “Drugs and Supplements” and search for a medication you take or you have seen ads about recently such as Prilosec or Cymbalta. Note the kind of information available.
I looked up Proair, an inhaler for COPD. The information provided is fairly complete for the layman. One can read why it is prescribed, how to take it, side effects, other brand names, generic name, how to store the medication, what to do if overdose occurs etc.
4. Click on “Health Topics” and search for the same disease or condition you looked at in Health Source. How does the information in MedlinePlus differ from that in Health Source?
Again using diabetes as a topic, the information is very different.To me it seems easier to find general information. The right side of the page has a medical encyclopedia with terms, and a section of related topics.
The main page has an overview with hyperlinks to related topics, then there is a wealth of information as you scroll down, including management, alternative therapies, informational videos, clinical trials, and journal articles. It is easy to navigate. Personally I enjoy this site more than the Health Source. I might like Health source if I were looking to do serious research for a report, but on a personal level, Medline Plus is easier to find information.
5. Look at the list of videos available by clicking on “Videos and Cool Tools” tab. Pick one video and launch it so you have an idea of what a patron would experience. What did you think of the video?
I launched the Paraesophageal Hernia Repair. This is really serious stuff! One sees an actual surgery taking place in the OR at the University of Maryland. While not everyone will have the stomach for this type of viewing, I found it fascinating, and very sobering as to the seriousness of the surgery. It really makes one think and weigh the risks before how to handle a health issue. Of course, prevention is always the best cure.
1. In Health Source – Consumer Edition, click on the Publications link at the top of the page and explore the types of magazines and journals indexed in the database.
Seeing as I love the health field, this is a fascinating area to explore! While I have searched some specific information in this section before, I had never explored the publications link. I explored by the alphabetical listing, the tried searching by subject. There is a wealth of information about healthy backs and I discovered a fun read with "Proverbs for Program People • Lessons for Life A Do It Now Foundation Publication by Hal Ackerman". Parenting seems to be well covered as well as drug and pharmaceutical information. Even AARP magazine was represented! Guess I am disclosing my age generation here!
2. Search for a disease or condition, such as diabetes. Sort your results by the most current publication date by clicking on the ‘Relevance Sort’ option.
With diabetes running in the family, this was a logical search. When sorting to the most current publications, I found a nice article on the benefits of eating nuts to help prevent type 2 diabetes.
AMA
(American Medical Assoc.)
Reference List
Palmer S. Go Nuts for Health!. Environmental Nutrition
[serial online]. November 2012;35(11):1-6. Available from: Health
Source - Consumer Edition, Ipswich, MA. Accessed November 12, 2012.
3. Pick one of the articles you found and read through the full text. Was the article written in terms you could understand without consulting a medical dictionary?
The reference cited above was very easy to understand for the average reader. No need for a medical dictionary!
MedlinePlus is produced by the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health. All the content in this resource is written with the consumer in mind. You’ll find overviews of medical conditions, pamphlets that can be printed, videos of surgical procedures and much more.
Discovery Exercise:
1. Go to Medline Plus
I did check out Medline as well as Medline Plus. Medline Plus is available on line at: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ and it seems to be geared for the general consumer to understand. I did some searching on Medline in MARVEL, and the articles were very professional, and detailed, for the scientists and doctors who would be using them as resources.
2. Look at a few of the links on the main page. What’s in the news column on the right side? Indicate in your blog post what some of the top searches are as listed on the left side of the page
Could not fine the top searches in MARVEL in Medline. The link above has the top searches. They include amlodipine, aspirin, asthma, autism, diabetes, gabapentin, hypertension, lisinopril, metoprolol, multiple sclerosis, osteoporosis, shingles, trazodone, and vitamin d.
3. Click on tab “Drugs and Supplements” and search for a medication you take or you have seen ads about recently such as Prilosec or Cymbalta. Note the kind of information available.
I looked up Proair, an inhaler for COPD. The information provided is fairly complete for the layman. One can read why it is prescribed, how to take it, side effects, other brand names, generic name, how to store the medication, what to do if overdose occurs etc.
4. Click on “Health Topics” and search for the same disease or condition you looked at in Health Source. How does the information in MedlinePlus differ from that in Health Source?
Again using diabetes as a topic, the information is very different.To me it seems easier to find general information. The right side of the page has a medical encyclopedia with terms, and a section of related topics.
The main page has an overview with hyperlinks to related topics, then there is a wealth of information as you scroll down, including management, alternative therapies, informational videos, clinical trials, and journal articles. It is easy to navigate. Personally I enjoy this site more than the Health Source. I might like Health source if I were looking to do serious research for a report, but on a personal level, Medline Plus is easier to find information.
5. Look at the list of videos available by clicking on “Videos and Cool Tools” tab. Pick one video and launch it so you have an idea of what a patron would experience. What did you think of the video?
I launched the Paraesophageal Hernia Repair. This is really serious stuff! One sees an actual surgery taking place in the OR at the University of Maryland. While not everyone will have the stomach for this type of viewing, I found it fascinating, and very sobering as to the seriousness of the surgery. It really makes one think and weigh the risks before how to handle a health issue. Of course, prevention is always the best cure.
I agree about the surgery videos. While they may not be for the faint of heart, they are fascinating and may be of particular value to anyone who will be undergoing such a procedure. Great to have in the tool belt!
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