MedlinePlus

It’s been used by librarians and medical practitioners for some time and it is now available to anyone who has access to internet. “Medline Plus” at (www.medlineplus.gov) is a user-friendly site loaded with health-related information.

Maintained by the National Institutes of Health and the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, this site offers authoritative resources for every conceivable health issue including information on clinical trials, alternative medicine, doctors, hospitals, and more. If interested, one can read about herbs and supplements, as well as over-the-counter drugs. You’ll find everything from green tea to antihistamines explained on MedlinePlus. Also of interest to users of all ages is DailyMed which contains information on prescription drugs. This database even includes packaging inserts that come with drugs.

For folks who like multi-media, there are interactive tutorials, which may be adjusted for “low vision users.” There are videos for those—but not me--who want to watch surgical procedures. You can become more knowledgeable about your aches and pains by studying the interactive body maps.

When users click on the Senior Health link, they will find large buttons that enable them to enlarge the text, change the appearance of the screen, and even make it “talk.” The Senior Health Line is an excellent source for information on Medicare prescription drug coverage and other topics related to aging.

If you like websites that personalize information, MedlinePlus has much to offer you including linking Medline to your website, RSS feeds (the Really Simple Syndication) that scroll across the bottom of the screen, email updates, and podcasts. The ultimate personalization may be your Family Health Portrait. This easy-to-use tool from the U.S. Surgeon General allows you to track and manage diseases that run in your family.

Go Local is a “service for finding local resources for health-related issues.” The information is cross-referenced many ways to help users find exactly what they need in a particular geographic area.

MedlinePlus also has handy links to such great resources as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Administration on Aging, Women’s Health, and many more. For example, I found nutritional information from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration link.

It seems to me that the website designers thought of everything when putting this information together. One feature that users really like is the use of common words instead of medical language. And speaking of language …. one simple click and the website displays in Spanish.

I encourage you to spend a little time exploring MedlinePlus; you’ll find even more layers and tools not mentioned above. The Library’s print resources are wonderful, but may not always cover the topic as thoroughly as on MedlinePlus.