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Your Health: Online Presented at Eleanor London Cote St. Luc Public Library Oct.29, 2008 Francesca Frati, MLIS Patient Information Specialist SMBD Jewish General Hospital Health Sciences Library Why look for health information? Understand what your doctor is telling you Participate in your health Be a partner with your doctor Make informed decisions Why look online for health information? Accessible 24/7 from your home Free & fast Up-to-date Why look online for health information? Cont… Check multiple sources Community Support groups Blogs What can you find online?* 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. General interest Medical research sites Patient sites Disease-specific sites Web tools * Schwartz J. Logging On for a Second (or Third) Opinion. New York Times:Health [Webpage]. September 29, 2008. Retrieved Oct. 22, 2008 from www.nytimes.com/2008/09/30/health/30online.html 1. General interest Medline Plus Mayo Clinic WebMD Public Health Agency of Canada CiSMeF 2. Medical research sites PubMed Clinical Trials National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine 3. Patient sites Association of Cancer Online Resources Self-Help Group Sourcebook Online Information and Referral Centre of Greater Montreal Patients like me 4. Disease-specific sites Canadian Cancer Society Heart & Stroke Foundation Canadian Diabetes Association 5. Web tools Drug interaction checkers Treatment decisions Lab tests Evaluating health information Websites and blogs In the news *or blogs •It is easy to navigate the website. •All the links work. •There is a copyright. Woodbury, Jeff. New York City: SPAT Artist, 2003. *or blogs •You can tell who created the website. •.edu •.gov •.org •You can contact the authors. •The authors provide their credentials. *or blogs •The authors are not selling something. •This symbol: on the page. is •You can verify the information. •You can see where the information came from. Evaluating web pages Created in 1995, HON is a non-profit, nongovernmental organization, accredited to the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. *or blogs •You can tell who the information is meant for. •It is easy for you to read and understand the information. *or blogs •The information is current (the date is included). •You can see when the page was last updated. *or blogs If you answered yes to all, or most of, these questions then you can probably trust the information you are getting. Even if you can trust this information you should always ask your doctor for advice. Evaluating the news Does the story include references? Are these references authoritative? Which study? Journal name? Author? Date? What kind of study? Patient and Family Resource Centre (PFRC) SMBD Jewish General Hospital Pavillion A, Room 200 PFRC Library Books Website Services InformationRx Books Website JGH.ca/pfrc Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Your doctor says you may be suffering from IBS. She explains what this means and gives you a few suggestions of how to manage the symptoms. You forget a lot of what she said by the time you get home. You think of some questions you didn’t ask but your next appointment isn’t for a few months. Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) MedlinePlus Irritable bowel syndrome: tips on controlling your symptoms (American Academy of Family Physicians) Irritable bowel syndrome Interactive tutorial (National Library of Medicine) IBS diet: can yogurt ease symptoms? (Mayo Clinic) Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) WebMD Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) Health Center Should I have tests for irritable bowel syndrome? Irritable bowel syndrome: Controlling symptoms with diet Lab testsblood tests Lab tests- blood tests Lab tests online BC Health Guide Medication-Coumadin (Warfarin) Your doctor has prescribed Coumadin for treating or preventing blood clots. You would like to know more about the drug and potential side-effects. You have a headache and would like to know whether there might be an interaction between Coumadine and Tylenol (acetaminophen). You may be breastfeeding and would like to know if this is a problem. Medication-Cumadin (Warfarin) Canadian drugs Drug interaction checker Medications and breastfeeding PFRC Disclaimer This information should not be considered as medical advice. It is not to be used in place of a visit with a doctor, nurse or other healthcare professional. If you have questions about your individual medical situation, please consult with your healthcare professional. Thank you! Questions?