Health Care Resources on the Internet: A Guide for Librarians and Health Care Consumers.

Abstract

As health care consumers become more active in managing their care, many are turning to the Internet to seek health information. The Internet has potential for serving as a powerful tool for distributing patient information as well as for enhancing communication and for networking between patients and their health care practitioners. The Internet, however, can be frustrating to search and misleading, especially for the inexperienced searcher. Dozens of books have been published over the past decade describing health care resources available on the Internet; a majority of these books have been aimed at the health care professional; and many are already dated. This text is a welcome addition in that it focuses on educating consumers and the librarians who assist them in how to search for information on the Internet more effectively and efficiently. In preparing Health Care Resources on the Internet, Wood assembled an experienced team of seventeen information specialists to share their collective knowledge of the Web and their research expertise. As with any compilation that includes chapters by many different authors, there is an inevitable unevenness. Some chapters are stronger than others, and some information overlaps or duplicates. Overall, however, the resource is well organized, is comprehensive in its coverage, and will be an extremely useful reference tool, especially for users new to searching the Internet. The text is short, easy to read, and immediately applicable. This reference work goes beyond merely listing recommended Websites on a variety of topics, as the title may suggest. Introductory chapters discuss use of the Internet at the reference desk and explain and provide tips for using search engines, subject directories, and metasearch gateways. Additional tips for using search engines are scattered throughout the text. Meta- or megasites for health information are recommended as good places to start a search because they tend “to provide one-site access to a breadth of information,” which generally has been compiled and evaluated by qualified professionals. Websites listed in this section will be recognized by experienced searchers as those that have stood the test of time (e.g., NOAH, Mayo Clinic's Health Oasis, and the Department of Health and Human Services' Website, Healthfinder). Because journals are recognized as the primary source of biomedical literature, one chapter in the book is devoted to searching MEDLINE via the Internet. For those unfamiliar with MEDLINE, the authors provide an explanation of the database and suggest tips for formulating a search strategy. Some of the information in this chapter is presented using concepts and jargon more familiar to health information professionals and may prove confusing to the general public. Readers are strongly encouraged to consult help files and try different systems before settling on one way to search MEDLINE. A nice synopsis of searching for evidence-based information is included for the advanced searcher; others are advised to skip this section of the chapter. Because this resource is geared to health care consumers as well as librarians, more emphasis could have been placed on searching PubMed and Internet Grateful Med or NLM's consumer-oriented MEDLINEplus. Succeeding chapters are topical in nature and emphasize consumer health, alternative medicine, government resources, and health-related statistical information on the Internet. Particularly noteworthy, especially for more experienced reference librarians who are knowledgeable about Internet resources in general, are chapters devoted to locating government resources and all-too-often elusive health-related statistical information on the Web. The author of the chapter on government resources highlights some of the traditional (print) sources that provide guidance in searching for government information on the Web and shares key Websites that may serve as starting points for locating federal, state, and international health information produced by governments. The use of search engines is, again, emphasized as an initial strategy for locating points of access. Authors of the chapter on locating health-related statistical information on the Internet suggest an approach or strategy for locating statistics in addition to listing specific Websites where various types of statistics may be found. Because many statistical sites are maintained by agencies of the federal government, some of this information duplicates that mentioned in the chapter about government information on the Web. One section of this book is devoted to a discussion of electronic journals available via the Internet. This information helps clear up a common misconception that medical journals are available in full text on the Web. The author of this chapter provides tips for locating electronic journals on the Internet and suggests health-related associations and educational institutions are good starting points in identifying subject-oriented journals. Access and document delivery options are discussed as well as costs associated with obtaining electronic full text from publishers and commercial vendors. A brief chapter covers searching for international medical resources on the Web. The author discusses some of the barriers to international research and lists some key sites of long-existing organizations that now have a Web presence, most notably the World Health Organization. Web addresses are given for sites linking to medical schools around the world and for international pharmaceutical companies. The Internet will continue to have a profound impact on how and where people search for health information, and consumers and librarians alike require instruction, which will help them become effective and efficient searchers. This resource provides a good starting point. The constantly evolving nature of the Web rapidly dates any resource that focuses on listing health-related Websites. In addition to providing information about many valuable and reliable health-related Websites, the authors of Health Care Resources on the Internet provide background information necessary to understanding the Internet and suggest sound strategies for locating information using general search engines. After reading this book, individual searchers will be able to explore the Internet in a more informed manner and will give more thought to evaluating information they do find in a consistent and knowledgeable way. It will be a valuable addition to all types of libraries.