FINDING TRUSTWORTHY HEALTH
INFORMATION
Using Library and Web resources
Mary Othic
Info Services Librarian
2/6/14
NEW STATISTICS: AMERICANS LOOK FOR
HEALTH INFO ONLINE!
Pew Internet & American Life Project (Health Online
2013)
 1 in 3 American adults have gone online to figure
out a medical condition
 8 in 10 Online Health inquires start at a search
engine.


The web provides us access to a wealth of health
info. It is essential to ensure this info comes from
creditable sources.
THE INTERNET AS A DIAGNOSTIC TOOL
59% of U.S. adults have looked online for heath
info in the last year.
 35% of U.S. adults say they have used the Internet
to attempt to figure out what medical condition they
or another may have. Pew dubbed these “online
diagnosers”

ONLINE DIAGNOSERS

53% of online diagnosers talked with a clinician
about what they found online.

41% of online diagnosers had their condition
confirmed by a clinician.

We recommend that you use health resources NOT
to diagnose, but to educate yourself. ALWAYS
consult a medical professional for a medical
diagnoses.
DOCTORS ARE IMPORTANT PARTNERS FOR
WELLBEING.
Clinicians are central resources for information or
support:
 70% of U.S. adults got information, care, or support
from a doctor or other health care professional

OBJECTIVES

Learn to find health information using library
databases and credible web sources.

Learn how to find info on:
prescription drugs and supplements
 specific medical conditions
 alternative medicine


Learn some tips on how to find credible websites.
WHERE TO GET CREDIBLE HEATH INFO

Library Databases
Health and Wellness Resource Center
 MedlinePlus


Web Resources
Mayo Clinic
 AARP Health Tools

WHERE TO GET CREDIBLE HEALTH INFO

Library Databases
www.ahml.info
 Click on the Research tab
 Find Health under “Database Subjects”

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS/SUPPLEMENTS

Health and Wellness Resource Center


“drugs & herbal remedies” tab
MedlinePlus *
“Drugs and Supplements” tab
 Lipitor (Atorvastatin) & Ginseng examples

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS

Mayo Clinic- Drugs and Suppliments:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/druginformation/DrugHerbIndex
AARP HEALTH TOOLS (WEB)

http://www.aarp.org/health/health_tools/

Helpful list of drug resources includes:
Drug interaction Checker
 Drugs A-Z
 Pill Identifier
 And much more

OVERVIEWS OF MEDICAL CONDITIONS
Health and Wellness Resource Center
 MedlinePlus

OVERVIEWS OF MEDICAL CONDITIONS

Mayo Clinic

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/DiseasesIndex/Diseas
esIndex
ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE

Health and Wellness Resource Center
WHAT’S IN A DOMAIN?

Google can be a good starting point, IF you know
what to look for.

Credibility can often be determined by looking at
the web site’s domain.

.edu, .gov, and .org domains often contain the most
credible information.

Authorship- Who is providing the information?
ORGANIZATIONS
Perform a web search for a specific medical
condition’s organization.
 For example:

RESOURCES
Pew Studyhttp://pewinternet.org/Reports/2013/Healthonline.aspx?utm_source=Mailing+List&utm_campai
gn=6db086e42cHealth_01_15_2013&utm_medium=email
 Mayo Clinic- http://www.mayoclinic.com/
 AARP Health Toolshttp://www.aarp.org/health/health_tools/
 Medical Library Association Guide to finding and
evaluating health infohttp://www.mlanet.org/resources/userguide.html

QUESTIONS?

Mary Othic
Info Services Librarian
Arlington Heights Memorial Library
[email protected]

Exercises and Class survey

Questions?