Kelli Ham, MLIS
Consumer Health Coordinator
NN/LM Pacific Southwest Region
http://nnlm.gov
What is the
National Library of Medicine?
Part of the National Institutes of Health,
NLM is the provider of PubMed.gov,
MedlinePlus.gov, and many other health
information resources
http://www.nlm.nih.gov
Online Health Searching
 88% of online searchers look for
health information
 Over half of online health searchers
later discussed information with
their doctors
 Half of all searches are based on
discussions with doctors
Harris Poll, “Cyberchondriacs” on the Rise?
August 4, 2010
What are the top sources consulted for
health information?
 Health professional = 86%
 Friend or family member = 68%
 Internet=57%
 Books or other print material=54%
 Insurance provider=33%
 Other source=5%
Source: Pew Internet and American Life Project
The Social Life of Health Information, June 2009
Health Information is Everywhere!
How does MedlinePlus differ from popular
search engines and commercial health sites?
About MedlinePlus.gov
 Debuted in 1998 with 22 health topics, now
there are over 800 topics
 Designed to be appealing and easy to use
 Not a search engine, but a current collection
of the best links to health information
 Adheres to strict quality guidelines
 No advertising or collection of personal info
MedlinePlus In a Nutshell
• Over 800 health topics in
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English and Spanish
Drug and herbal
supplement information
Videos and animations
Health Check tools
Easy-to-read Materials
Multiple Languages
Medical Dictionary &
Encyclopedia
Health News
medlineplus.gov
Search Tips
 Key word versus phrase searching
 - renal cell cancer = 985 results
• - “renal cell cancer” = 24 results
 Boolean searching ( OR, NOT )
- ”weight loss” NOT surgery
- “weight loss” “gastric bypass” (AND is the default)
 Use the asterisk to search for word variations
- lymph* (lymphoma, lymphatic, lymphedema)
Designed for Everyone
 People use different search strategies
Type keywords in search box
Scan list of topics
Click on meaningful icons or visually appealing images
Browse pages
No matter how someone searches, they will find
information on MedlinePlus!
www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/searchtips.html
When formatted for printing,
the URLs are spelled out
Need a Spelling or Definition?
Full-featured Medical Dictionary
Clicking the speaker icon will
play an audio pronunciation
MedlinePlus Magazine
A quarterly publication
of the Friends of the
National Library of
Medicine.
Get a free subscription!
www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/magazine/issues/sprsum10/toc.html
NIH MedlinePlus Salud
NIH MedlinePlus Salud
comes out twice a year
Bilingual format on
facing pages
Salud Bilingual Format
Reality Check
One out of _____ American adults reads at the 5th
grade level or below.
The average American reads at about the 8th grade
level, yet most health care materials are written
above the ____ grade level.
Reality Check
One out of 5 American adults reads at the 5th
grade level or below.
The average American reads at about the 8th grade
level, yet most health care materials are written
above the 10th grade level.
Source: Partnership for Clear Health Communication, National
Patient Safety Foundation
http://www.npsf.org/askme3/pdfs/STATS_GLANCE_EN.pdf
Health Literacy Defined
Ability to obtain and understand health
information, and to act on that information
1 in 3 adults have Basic or Below Basic skills
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2006/2006483_1.pdf
MedlinePlus Offers Easy-to-understand
Information
Easy-to-read
Resources
 Plain language
information from
government agencies
and health
organizations
 Interactive Tutorials
with audio, images, and
text at 6th grade level
How to Write
Easy-to-read
 Tools to help recognize
elements of easy-to-read
resources
 Helpful information for
writing understandable
information
Multiple
Languages
on Health
Topic Pages
Multilingual Materials
Medical
encyclopedia entry
Medical
encyclopedia
images
Medical
Encyclopedia –
Patient Instructions
Drug Record
Source: American Society of Health System Pharmacists
Drug Record in Spanish
Just Added!
Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database
Consumer Version
 100 English and Spanish monographs
 Herbals, dietary supplements, and how they work
 Effectiveness ratings for different indications
 Safety concerns, including precautions ,warnings and
possible interactions with medications, foods, and other
herbs and supplements
 Extensive lists of references, with links to PubMed
Herbs and Supplements Record
Videos and Cool Tools
Interactive
Tutorial Text
Summary
Anatomy Videos
From A.D.A.M
Features brief
video with
transcript
Requires
QuickTime
(free download)
Surgery Videos
Health Check Tools and Games
 Assess your risk for
health conditions
 Have fun learning
about your health
 For all ages
Example:
Health Check
Tool
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
http://www.ahrq.gov/questionsaretheanswer/questionBuilder.aspx
Example:
Health Check
Tool
National Heart Lung and Blood Institute
http://hp2010.nhlbihin.net/menuplanner/menu.cgi
Cool Tools: Games for Kids
Food Detectives Fight Bac – Partnerships for Food Safety
http://www.fightbac.org/education-a-outreach/kids-pages
Games for Teens
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
http://teens.drugabuse.gov/sarasquest/sqgame.php
Learn About Anatomy
http://americanhistory.si.edu/anatomy/bodyparts/nma03_bodyparts.html
HealthDay Videos – MedlinePlus News
Mobile MedlinePlus
 Content optimized for
small screens
 Works on smart phones
and other mobile devices
 In English and Spanish
m.medlineplus.gov
m.medlineplus.gov/spanish
nihseniorhealth.gov
3/12/2016
Training Programs for Seniors
http://nihseniorhealth.gov/toolkit/toolkit.html
nihseniorhealth.gov/toolkit/toolkit.html
Free MedlinePlus Brochures
English: http://nnlm.gov/training/resources/mptri.pdf
Spanish: http://nnlm.gov/training/resources/mptri_esp.pdf
Take-away Points
1) Help your patrons be
informed health
information searchers
2) Encourage them to ask
questions
3) Be an advocate for health
Questions?
Thank You!
Kelli Ham, MLIS
Consumer Health Coordinator
NN/LM Pacific Southwest Region
UCLA Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library
kkham@library.ucla.edu
(800)338-7657