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Medicine & Health


Dictionaries & Encyclopedias | Directories & Indexes | Physician & Hospital Finders | Government Sites | General Health Resources
 

Dictionaries & Encyclopedias

On-line Medical Dictionary
From CancerWeb.
MEDLINEplus Medical Dictionary
Quick access to the Merriam-Webster Medical Dictionary. From the National Library of Medicine.
adam Health Illustrated Encyclopedia
Over 4,000 articles about diseases, tests, symptoms, injuries, and surgeries, with photographs and illustrations. From the National Library of Medicine.
Merck Publications
Click on the individual volume to search selected portions of several Merck publications, including the Merck Manual of Medical Information Home Edition, the Merck Manual of Geriatrics, or the Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy.
Pharmaceutical and Medical Abbreviations Dictionary
A dictionary of over 70,000 medical, pharmaceutical, biomedical & healthcare acronyms and abbreviations.

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Directories & Indexes

CAPHIS for Health Consumers: Web Sites You Can Trust
The top 100 healthcare websites, as chosen by the Consumer and Patient Health Information Section of the Medical Library Association.
Easy to Read Health & Medical Sites
Links to sites and handouts, many with pictures, explaining health issues and diseases facts. Some available in Spanish. Some sites require the Adobe Acrobat Reader, available at the site.
How to Find Medical Information
Good overview on searching for reliable health and medical information, from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.
Treadwell Library: Consumer Health Reference Center
A comprehensive, annotated list of Internet resources in medicine and health, provided by the Consumer Health Reference Center at the Treadwell Library at Massachusetts General Hospital. With the suspension of funds from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, this site is no longer updated (as of 9/02).
Healthfinder
A service provided by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, this site is a gateway to web sources and organizations offering information, from Federal, state and local agencies, not-for-profit organizations, and universities on health- and human services-related questions. Very easy to use; searchable alphabetically or by topic. Portions of the site are available in Spanish.
Healthweb
Provides links to evaluated information resources on the Web, selected by librarians at leading academic medical centers in the Midwest. Includes a broad range of mental and physical health topics.
Link2Health
Annotated health resources. From the Middletown Thrall Library in New York.
MEDLINEplus Health Topics
Excellent overviews of diseases and conditions, health and wellness topics, demographic groups, and more from the National Institutes of Health.
NOAH: New York Online Access to Health
A good place to find links to information on specific diseases, disorders, and other health issues. Some material is available in Spanish.
NORD: Rare Disease Database
Check here for short descriptions of rare diseases and syndromes and links to other web-based resources and organizations. Access to fee-based resources is available. From the National Organization for Rare Diseases.

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Physician & Hospital Finders

Massachusetts Physician Profiles
Search profiles of physicians licensed to practice in Massachusetts. Includes education and training, specialties, hospital affiliations, insurance plans accepted, history of disciplinary actions, paid malpractice claims and other information. A service of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine.
American Board of Medical Specialties Certified Doctor Home Page
A physician locator and verification service from ABMS. Search here to verify that your physician has been certified by one or more of the 24 Member Boards. You can also search for a physician with a particular specialty by geographic area. Requires free registration. Note that the more complete print edition is available at the main branch of the Springfield Library.
American Hospital Directory
Profiles of hospitals across the country are provided here, including statistics and other information. The free service gives summary information. Detailed reports require paid subscription to the service.
American Medical Association: Doctor Finder
Searchable database of U.S physicians.
American Dental Association
Use the Find a Dentist database to search for a dentist near you, or browse oral health topics, news and other information for good dental health.
Performance Reports on Accredited Healthcare Organizations
From the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. Check here for the status of hospitals, laboratories, health care and other organizations. Searchable by name, type of facility, and geographic location. Works best with Internet Explorer.

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Government Sites

Massachusetts Department of Public Health
Description of state programs and current health concerns, with extensive databases of statistics.
Medicare
The official U.S. Government site for Medicare information. This site includes basic Medicare and health care information for seniors and their families, as well as "Medicare Compare" and "Nursing Home Compare" which are databases allowing detailed health plan and nursing home comparisons, searchable by geographic area. Portions of the site are available in Spanish.
National Library of Medicine
Free access to portions of the U.S. Government's Medline service, including biomedical journal abstracts from PubMed and Internet Grateful Med. Also offers access to Health Hotlines, a listing of toll-free telephone services offered by health-related organizations.
National Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Complete information on the CDC including publications, health information, current news and statistics.

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General Health Resources

About Herbs, Botanicals and Other Products
Provides objective information for oncologists and healthcare professionals, including a clinical summary for each agent and details about constituents, adverse effects, interactions, and potential benefits or problems. From the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
AIDS Basics
Common questions about HIV/Aids from HIV Insite, University of California San Francisco.
AllAllergy.Net
Information and online resources for allergies, asthma, skin disorders, hay fever and other conditions. Includes online articles and publications, contact information for professional, consumer and support organizations, databases of allergens, additives and preservatives, occupational health issues and more.
 
The Alternative Medicine Homepage
A directory of resources for those seeking alternatives to the familiar AMA-style practice of medicine.
American Hospice Foundation
The American Hospice Foundation supports programs that serve the needs of terminally ill and grieving individuals of all ages. Includes a hospice search feature.
The Body: An AIDS and HIV Information Resource
An incredible wealth of information can be found here, from AIDS basics and prevention to living with HIV, AIDS treatment options, conference schedules, activist organizations, governmental agencies and actions, and news updates.
Cancer.gov
Cancer information, support groups, links to clinical trials, statistics, research and more from the National Cancer Institute.
Your Cancer Risk
This site presents an online questionnaire which enables you to determine your risk for for various types of cancer, and includes information on lowering cancer risk. This is a pilot project from the Harvard Center for Cancer Prevention at the Harvard School of Public Health.
Center for Young Women's Health
Health information, clinical care, and a variety of programs and services designed to educate and empower girls and young women ages 12-22. From Children's Hospital Boston.
ClinicalTrials.gov
The U.S. National Institutes of Health, through its National Library of Medicine, has developed ClinicalTrials.gov to provide patients, family members and members of the public current information about clinical research studies.
Diagnostic tests
Check here for outlines and information about the most frequently encountered medical tests. Tells you what to expect during the test, how to prepare for it, and when to expect the results. From the Harvard Medical School Family Health Guide.
Drug Information
From MEDLINEplus. Information on thousands of prescription and over-the-counter medications is provided through two drug resources -- MedMaster™, a product of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), and the USP DI® Advice for the Patient®, a product of the United States Pharmacopeia (USP).
Dr. Greene's House Calls
Pediatrician Dr. Alan Greene provides health information about infants and children using a question and answer format. A search facility is provided or you can browse by subject. A mailing list is available also.
Eye Resources on the Internet
Long list of annotated resources, from the Association of Vision Science Librarians.
Growth House
An Internet gateway to resources for death, dying, bereavement and end-of-life issues. Includes links for information on dealing with AIDS, cancer and other life-threatening illnesses, dealing with grief for families and children, pain management and many other topics. Includes chat rooms, newsletters, and other resources.
Guide to Dental Health Resources
A resource guide to books, medical organizations, websites, and tips on finding a dentist. From Healthnet: Connecticut Consumer Health Information Network.
Health Hotlines
A listing of toll-free telephone services offered by health-related organizations from the National Library of Medicine. Searchable by subject or keyword, and includes information on services and publications in Spanish.
Healthy Ideas
Produced in part by Prevention magazine, this site features diverse information on herbs and vitamins, weight loss, nutrition, and other popular health topics.
Internet Mental Health
Well-organized, clear, straightforward site. Offers online encyclopedia of disorders, articles and links to selected websites for each disorder, and a medications list.
Interactive Health Tutorials
Online tutorials for patients and consumers on such subjects as diseases and conditions, tests and diagnostic procedures, and surgery and treatment procedures. Using animated graphics each tutorial explains a procedure or condition in easy-to-read language. Some are available in Spanish. You can also listen to the tutorial. NOTE: These tutorials require a special Flash plug-in, version 4 or above. If you do not have Flash, you will be prompted to obtain a free download of the software before you start the tutorial. From MEDLINEplus at the National Library of Medicine.
Lab Tests Online
Designed to help the patient or caregiver to better understand the many clinical lab tests that are part of routine care as well as diagnosis and treatment of a broad range of conditions and diseases.
Mayo Clinic
From one of the most respected medical providers in the country. Articles and other resources covering topics ranging from allergy and asthma to women's health needs, with drug information, a healthy living section, and an "Ask a Specialist" feature.
Mental Help Net: Self-Help Sourcebook Online
This guide has been developed to act as your starting point for exploring real-life support groups and networks that are available throughout the world and in your community. The self-help groups, contained in the database that you can access by keyword, can help you find and/or start a support group in your community. Local self-help group clearinghouses can also often help you find or form a group.
National Women's Health Information Center
Check here for extensive FAQs on women's health issues, breaking news, selected health information for professionals, women of color and others, links to journals and encyclopedias and other sources. Allows searching by topic or keyword. A service of the U.S. Public Health Service and the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services. Includes resources in Spanish.
Food and Nutrition Information Center
Includes facts about dietary supplements, food composition, healthy diet guidelines, food pyramid, with additional databases and consumer information. From the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Nutrition.gov
A portal site from the U.S. Government, providing easy access to all nutrition information provided by federal government agencies. Covers food facts, safety, life cycle issues, food assistance, research, health management, and other resources.
 
OncoLink
This site, based at the University of Pennsylvania, is a good starting place for cancer information.
Substance Abuse Information Sites for Consumers
A good compilation of links from the Health Sciences and Human Services Library at the University of Maryland. Includes: finding a treatment facility, self-help organizations, federal and other resources.
Your Genes, Your Health
A multimedia guide to genetic disorders. Explains the disease or syndrome, causes, heritability, diagnosis, and treatment.
 

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This page last updated: September 19, 2006