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Content: Consumer Health

DailyMed
Dr. Stuart Nelson from NLM gives a 19 minute presentation on DailyMed which provides high quality information about marketed drugs. The information in DailyMed includes FDA approved labels (package inserts). This Web site provides health information providers and the public with a standard, comprehensive, up-to-date, look-up and download resource of medication content and labeling as found in medication package inserts.

Information for Librarian and Trainers
This MedlinePlus site lists appropriate, authoritative health informtion training tools and resources.

MLA 2008 NLM Theater Presentations
The various presentations concerning NLM products and services held in the NLM Booth at MLA Chicago 2008 are available. The presentations range in various time lengths and are available in the Adobe Connect format

Tox Town en espanol
Tox Town en español identifies Spanish-language information in a subject area – environmental health and toxicology – that currently has few Web resources. To supplement the limited Web resources in Spanish, nearly 100 pages of background information describing environmental health concerns were translated and reviewed by a team of bilingual health information specialists.

ABCs of DNA: Unraveling the Mystery of Genetics Information for Consumers
Consumers need access to information and resources about genetic information in a manner that is understandable. Librarians working with the public need to be aware of the issues surrounding genetics and resources to assist patrons in locating and evaluating sometimes complex and confusing information. This class explores basic concepts such as genes and chromosomes and offers an overview of genetic disorders, genetic testing, genetic counseling, and the Human Genome Project. Ethical and legal issues associated with genetic disorders will be covered with regard to privacy, discrimination, and potential legislative impact on medicine and society. A variety of reliable health information resources will be demonstrated, including, but not limited to: Genetics Home Reference, ClinicalTrials.gov, CHID (Combined Health Information Database), NORD (National Organization for Rare Disorders), and MedlinePlus. This 4-hour hands-on class is intended for consumers, public librarians, and health sciences librarians who work with the public.

African American Community Health
African American communities see diseases like cancer, diabetes, and heart disease affecting their friends and families every day. Free online resources from the National Library of Medicine and other reliable sources are available to help. This two hour class will provides participants with some basic health information as well as information specific to the African American community. The class is available hands-on or as an interactive presentation. 2 hours.

¿No Comprende? Spanish Health Information Resources for English Speaking Librarians class description
This page describes the class including an abstract, objectives, course materials, MLA CE, and who teaches it. This 4-hour hands-on class will cover resources for learning basic, library, medical, and Internet Spanish vocabulary. You will also learn to evaluate and identify health websites in Spanish to which you can direct your patrons.

Beyond an Apple a Day: Providing Consumer Health Information at Your Library
Want to improve your consumer health collection and services? Interested in improving your reference skills for providing health information for the public? Then this class is for you. Starting with a discussion about the information seeking behaviors of consumers, the class focuses on the provision of consumer health information services for the public. We will also cover health literacy, planning the service, the reference interview, consumer health online, collection development, collaboration, community partnerships, outreach and marketing. Students will also learn about how to stay up to date on consumer health librarianship.

Caring for the Mind: Providing Reference Services for Mental Health Information
Responding to mental health reference questions is challenging for even the most experienced librarian. In "Caring for the Mind", participants will learn how to effectively provide reference services for mental health information for the public. Participants will learn the best web sites, databases and collection development materials to respond to mental health related questions. Best approaches to handling challenging reference interviews will be explored. This class will increase your knowledge of consumer level mental health resources.

Combatting Information Fatigue: Health Information Resources for Veterans
This course covers resources for finding information on general health conditions, mental health resources including those for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), family issues, substance abuse, amputations, support groups and more. Additionally, this class will prepare participants to find and assess other veterans’ health resources.

Communicating about Health: Empowering Patrons to Communicate with Their Health Care Providers
Health questions are routinely asked at the reference desk, and often information is provided with additional encouragement to discuss the findings with the patron’s doctor. However, communicating with the health care provider may not be easy for many people for a variety of reasons. How can patients ask all of their questions if they only see the doctor for just five or ten minutes? What if there are cultural or language barriers? What can libraries or other information providers do to help people be active participants in their own health care? This webcast is geared to libraries and organizations that provide health information to the public, covering issues and resources around the topic of communication between patients and their health care team. The webcasts focuses on issues concerning barriers to communication, the complexity of the health care system, end-of-life issues, patient safety and patient rights. Participants will learn about the best resources and most effective strategies to help patrons learn about communicating with their health care providers in order to take an active role in their health. This webcast is the archived version of a session from the "Health e-Shows" series, a consumer health information series developed by Kelli Ham, NN/LM PSR Consumer Health Coordinator, in collaboration with Infopeople. Materials include the archived webcast, an audio podcast file, handouts and the PowerPoint slides used for the presentation.

Consumer Health Information: American Indian Resources
Annotated listing of Websites related to health concerns of American Indians.

Consumer Health Materials in Spanish
A listing of Spanish language health related materials originating from the United States. This is a guide used to provide information.

Finding Easy-to-Read and Multilingual Materials for your Patrons
Do you serve people with low reading skills or limited English language proficiency? For these library users, health information may look like a jumble of complicated words, technical jargon and difficult instructions. Quality health information is essential for making good healthcare decisions, but much of the readily available health information is written at a reading level that is too difficult for many to understand. For patrons who need information in other languages, the problem is even worse. This webinar will identify appropriate sources for quality multilingual health information and understandable health information that is written in plain English, plus search strategies for finding specific topics in these formats. Attendees will hear new ideas for targeting specific user groups and enhancing services through innovative community partnerships. The webinar content will be useful for public and hospital librarians, library staff and anyone who provides health information to members of the public with these special information needs.

Finding Native Health Info Online
Whether you are a community health care worker, a librarian, or just want to be informed, this hands-on class will show you the best places to find Native health information on the Internet. You will learn how to search for and acquire journal articles to find the latest research being done on conditions affecting Native populations. You will also find out where to get reliable consumer level information on such topics as traditional healing, environmental health, urban Indian health, tribal and U.S. government health resources, and other general Native health topics. The hands-on class is 2 hours.

From Snake Oil to Penicillin: Evaluating Consumer Health Information on the Internet
Course Description: Distance Learning Course This interactive course will introduce participants to issues surrounding the quality of health information resources on the internet. Participants will be provided with a set of recommended criteria to be used to evaluate health information websites. Objectives: *Become familiar with unique issues surrounding health information on the internet. *Understand the nature of web-based resources and why people post information to the internet. *Evaluate health information web sites using a set of criteria provided so that you can determine whether or not the sites are trustworthy sources of health information. This is an online, asynchronous, instructor-led class using Moodle. Class size is limited, registration is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Getting Started with Information Outreach in Minority Communities
This interactive class will provide a background in cultural competence and outreach skills to assist you as you make outreach efforts to underserved and minority populations in your community.

Health Information for Kids and Teens and Seniors, Oh My!
Whether it's reading a funny story about germs and hand washing to preschoolers or helping a senior citizen learn about an upcoming surgery, providing health information is a common and very important task for librarians. Much attention is given to topics such as best practices for the health reference interview, cultural sensitivity and health literacy. But what are best practices for serving users in different age groups? How do the needs of a teenager differ from a senior citizen? What are some ways to engage users through fun and interactive programs, regardless of age? This webinar will explore the health information needs and information seeking behaviors of kids, teens, boomers and seniors. You will discover some new resources and some tricks in getting to fantastic resources for different age groups using MedlinePlus. We will present resources for fun, interactive, quality health programming for all ages and also discuss strategies for partnering with a variety of organizations and schools in your community. Keep your users informed about their health, and have some fun along the way!

LactMed Basics
This phamplet describes and helps users search LactMed. LactMed is a free online database for breastfeeding mothers with information on the effects of drugs on lactation. Learn about drug levels, possible drugs effects on the infant, and alternative medications.

Let's Talk About Sex: Sexual & Reproductive Health Resources Across the Lifespan
With the increase of Hispanics and Latinos at 14.8% of the United States population, librarians are dramatically and successfully changing to meet the health information needs of this population. This presentation offers reliable resoruces on sexual and reproductive health in both English and Spanish, offering librarians another avenue to explore and inform on topics that are often times not discussed. Sections in this presentation include: Teens; LGBT, Women's Health, Men's Heath, HIV/AIDS, and Older Adults.

MidContinental Region News Blog
Newsletter/Blog of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine Midcontinental Region covering the states of Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, and Missouri.

NLM Gateway Brochure [PDF]
This informational brochure, in trifold format, explains the basic elements of the NLM Gateway which allows users to search multiple databases of the National Library of Medicine (NLM). Adobe Acrobat (PDF) is required to print the brochure.

NLM's Consumer Health Databases
the National Library of Medicine has produced a number of databases designed for the general public. These databases range from health information to environmental conditions that impact health. This 4 hour hands-on course is designed to be an overview of these databases. These databases can also be taught as a single class, individual modules, or combined for specific needs.

Patient Safety Resource Seminar: Librarians on the Front Lines
This interactive seminar focuses on ways both public and medical librarians can become more involved in patient safety processes and activities - both within their institutions and organizations and in providing patient safety resources for health professionals, for administration and staff, and for patients and families. Topics include understanding the definitions and issues of patient safety; locating where patient safety practices and contacts exist within an institution; identifying appropriate resources; and library advocacy in the area of patient safety. These four hours of lecture, discussion and brainstorming help librarians in all fields become effective agents for improving patient safety.

Prescription for Success: Consumer Health Information on the Internet
This hands-on introductory class to consumer health information will cover the information-seeking behaviors of consumers, the basics of MedlinePlus.gov, DIRLINE, ClinicalTrials.gov and other reliable web pages such as those from professional medical associations and advocacy groups. It will cover sites devoted to pharmaceutical information for consumers, drug-interaction databases and herbal information.

Resources for your health Get Connected! African Americans
Annotated listing of Websites concerning African American health issues.

Resources for your health Get Connected! Latino Americans
Annotated listing of Websites related to health concerns for Latino Americans

Resources for your health Get Connected! Native American Health
This site contains a trifold with a list of consumer health web sites that provide culturally competent health information focusing on health concerns of the Native Americans.

The Healthy Librarian: Cultivating Wellness in the Workplace
Learn simple strategies to cultivate wellness in the workplace at your library. Participants will learn skills to manage challenges of the job. This interactive session will explore practical solutions including stress management skills, ergonomics and how to incorporate more activity into your day. Resources for improving one’s health literacy including health check tools and developing resiliency for changes in the profession will be explored. Participants will leave with enhanced knowledge and practical skills for incorporating healthy habits into their daily work.

Understanding Health Literacy: Why It Is So Important and What Librarians Can Do to Help
According to the National Assessment of Adult Literacy, more than a third of adult Americans have trouble understanding basic medical information. Health literacy is the notion that a person is able to obtain, understand, and act on information provided about a health topic or medication. Low or limited health literacy can result in a patient's misunderstanding of a diagnosis or treatment options, medication errors, or poor health outcomes in general. Providing quality health information is not enough. The ability to read - and understand - is necessary in order to make decisions and take action. This webinar will examine the related issues of literacy and health literacy and how it relates to health outcomes for millions of Americans. Several eye-opening examples will demonstrate how low literacy impacts the healthcare of actual patients. Attendees will learn strategies for finding appropriate, understandable health information, the meaning of "easy-to-read" designations, and resources for helping users communicate better with their healthcare providers. The session will conclude with ideas for programming and partnerships to benefit your community. The webinar content will be useful for public and hospital librarians and staff and anyone who provides health information to members of the public.

Will Duct Tape Cure My Warts? Examining Complementary and Alternative Medicine
The goal of this class is to increase understanding of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM). Students will learn the history of CAM and its impact on medical practices. They will learn how CAM is used, how to avoid bad science and how to look up evidence of the effectiveness of CAM therapies. This class is offered for 2 hours or 4 hours. Both classes will include lecture, discussion, and hands-on training.

A Younger Generation of Older Adults: Health Information for Boomers
What is different about the Baby Boomer population when it comes to health information? The boomer group is a moving target; the youngest are now just over 40, and the oldest boomers are approaching retirement age. They may have children and be caregivers for aging parents at the same time. Because boomers tend to be more educated, more tech-savvy, and more interested in health, wellness and fitness than prior generations, their health information needs are varied and substantial. Additionally, boomers often turn to a search engine first rather than the family physician for health information. This webcast highlights issues faced by boomers and provide some great tips and resources for the library staff who serve them. This webcast is the archived version of a session from the "Health e-Shows" series, a consumer health information series developed by Kelli Ham, NN/LM PSR Consumer Health Coordinator, in collaboration with Infopeople. Materials include the archived webcast, an audio podcast file, handouts and the PowerPoint slides used for the presentation.

An In-depth Look at MedlinePlus
Library users routinely ask tough health questions at the reference desk, and often the first place that librarians start is MedlinePlus. Nearly all library staff members are familiar with this important health information resource, but there is much more to MedlinePlus.gov than meets the eye. Please join us as we explore the nooks and crannies of the site and share tips for tweaking your search to pull out the nuggets of information for your library users! This webinar is geared to library reference staff, but will also be useful to anyone who wants to use MedlinePlus to its full potential. The webinar will begin with a top-level view of MedlinePlus and how it differs from popular search engines and commercial health websites. What follows is an in-depth breakdown of the site, including some great ready-reference resources and other useful features. Participants will see search techniques that unlock the power of MedlinePlus, and will learn about new content areas that will provide answers to those difficult health reference questions. There is sure to be something new and useful for everyone! Note: Due to a recording glitch, there is about a 1 minute of silence after the introduction before the presenter begins. This webinar is the archived version of a live, interactive session from the "Health e-Shows" series, a consumer health information series developed by Kelli Ham, NN/LM PSR Consumer Health Coordinator, in collaboration with Infopeople. Materials include the archived webinar, and the PowerPoint slides used for the presentation.

Beyond MedlinePlus: Resources That Answer Those Other Tough Health Reference Questions
For health-related questions, knowing the best resource is a key component of providing exceptional reference services. MedlinePlus is a great place to start for many questions, but where do you turn for those other difficult questions? For example, library users might want to know about specifics about how a medication will affect breastfeeding and if there are better alternatives. They may ask to see new research studies on experimental treatments for cancer. Or a question might be about toxic substances in plastic bottles, or the likelihood of whether a particular disease will be passed on to children. At times, librarians will be asked to search for a full-text article from a medical journal that can be printed right at the library. This webinar provides a look at free, high-quality resources that will answer these and many other difficult health-related questions. The session will be useful for public librarians and staff, hospital librarians, health educators, nurses and anyone who provides health information to members of the public. Learning about these resources will provide attendees with a robust "bag of tricks" to take your reference services to the next level. This webinar is the archived version of a live, interactive session from the "Health e-Shows" series, a consumer health information series developed by Kelli Ham, NN/LM PSR Consumer Health Coordinator, in collaboration with Infopeople. Materials include the archived webinar, a resource list, and the PowerPoint slides used for the presentation.

Health Literacy: New Fields, New Opportunities
This tutorial outlines the challenges and the roles for the health literacy practitioners.

I Do Not Give Medical Advice; I Dispense Quality Health Information
In the day-to-day work of the reference librarian, the health reference interview presents one of the most challenging scenarios. What determines a successful outcome, both for the library user and the librarian? Is the experience better, worse, or simply different for public librarians as compared with hospital or medical librarians? This session presents the differences between regular reference and health reference, with a focus on strategies for providing excellent consumer health reference services in both medical and public library settings. This webinar is the archived version of a live, interactive session from the "Health e-Shows" series, a consumer health information series developed by Kelli Ham, NN/LM PSR Consumer Health Coordinator, in collaboration with Infopeople. Materials include the archived webinar, an audio podcast file, and the PowerPoint slides used for the presentation.

Introduction to Public Health Resources and Online Resources Evaluation Skills
These are tools for a peer taught class that is lead by a instructor knowledgeable in the areas covered in the class (online public health resources and website evaluation). With over 17,000 online websites (Pew Internet & American Life: Online life Report http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Health_Report.pdf) with health related content the class emphasizes the importance for website evaluation. There is a evaluation of the Partners in Information Access for the Public Health Workforce website that acts as a brief overview of the resource. Learning Objectives: 1) learn how to quickly evaluate online resources (content, currency, audience, purpose, navigation, special features, type of information, evidence based/quality, etc) 2) receive an overview of http://phpartners.org by instructor 3) receive an overview of several online resources that have public health resources. 4) be exposed to presenting to the entire class and express critical thinking in a short amount of time.

Consumer Health Web Sites
An annotated webliography of consumer health web sites recommended by Department of Veterans Affairs librarians. Each site was critically reviewed and evaluated before inclusion on the webliography. Web sites are arranged by subject.

Consumer Health: An Evidence Based Approach To Complementary & Alternative Medicine
This course is in no way a compilation of all of the complementary and alternative medicine resources that are available. Instead, it is an attempt to provide a look at evidence based and peer reviewed alternative medicine resources.

Easy-to-Read Health and Wellness Material for Consumers: recognizing it, finding it, writing it, rewriting it
Learn in a hands-on environment--in the large group and break-out groups, to critique, rewrite and create materials that get your health and wellness information across quickly and clearly. We'll review the disconnect between information providers and information seekers, the process of educating adults, the success of "plain language" initiatives and the importance of text, type, graphics, space and layout. In this workshop you will also be provided brochure examples, SMOG and REALM tests, a webliography and links to other training. During the workshop you will edit pieces so that at the conclusion you'll have new awareness, new skills, a new product and access to further resources. Clear health communication is the goal, regardless of medium.

Evidence Based Medicine Information
Tutorial to acquaint one with Evidence Based Medicine.

Finding HIV/AIDS Information on the Web: An Interactive, Web-Based Tutorial
This tutorial is designed to familiarize users with HIV/AIDS consumer health resources on the Web. The tutorial is made up of four separate sections: Section 1: Introduction to the Web Section 2: Strategies for Locating Reliable HIV/AIDS Information on the Web Section 3: Using Search Engines Effectively Section 4: Evaluating Web Sites Although each of the four sections have been designed to flow logically from one to the next, each section can also be used as a stand-alone training module or refresher for those who may be more or less familiar with certain Web features and functions.

LactMed Basics
LactMed is a free online database with information for breastfeeding mothers and healthcare providers on lactation and prescription medications. Learn about drug levels, drug effects on infants, and alternative medications.

MedlinePlus® for Health Professionals
Trifold brochure in pdf format focused on information in MedlinePlus of interest to health professionals including patient education resources, InformationRX, searching for images, and PubMed articles for patients. Also available in Word format.

Nursing on the Net: Health Care Resources You Can Use
Looking for the latest developments in patient care but finding too much, too little or inadequate information? This course is designed for librarians responsible for information services to the Nursing and Allied Health professions. Participants will learn to use and evaluate web based health information resources, find online news services, continuing online education courses, and consumer health web sites. Participants will also learn to search the National Library of Medicine's MEDLINE database of over 18 million citations using the PubMed interface. This course will also cover MedlinePlus the National Library of Medicine's web site for consumer health information. This class is available in person and via distance learning.

Nutrition in Pregnancy
A short video to educate patients on nutritional needs during pregnancy.

Public Health Information and Data Tutorial
Online tutorial with content based on the "Public Health Information and Data Training Manual." Four modules cover staying informed about news in public health, health education resources, public health statistics and data sets, and supporting decisions with the best evidence.

Savvy Library Services for Senior Health
This powerpoint addresses the health information searching behavior of seniors and how librarians can best serve them. The presentation shares lessons learned from outreach with senior citizens and their care providers, suggests resources for healthy aging and describes some meaningful programs for senior health information.

Unified Health Communication
The Health Resources and Services is offering a free online learning experience. Unified Health Communication 101: Addressing Health Literacy, Cultural Competency, and Limited English Proficiency is a free on-line learning experience that will help you improve your patient communication skills, increase your awareness and knowledge of the three main factors that affect your communication with patients: health literacy, cultural competency and low English proficiency implement patient-centered communication practices that demonstrate cultural competency and appropriately address patients with limited health literacy and low English proficiency You may choose to take the course for credit (CEU/CE, CHES, CME, CNE) or not for credit. The course has five modules and is estimated to take a total of 5 hours to complete. You may complete the course at your own pace. The course is also helpful for consumers who want to improve their ability to talk with their healthcare provider, understand health information and access care. The course could be valuable for librarians as they reach out to provide support and information to the public and health professionals and would provide them another option to obtain continuing education units. In addition, The Unified Health Communication course could complement The Medical Library Association and National Institutes of Health/National Library of Medicine (NLM) work in literacy research, curriculum design and hospital outreach.

Unified Health Communication 101: Addressing Health Literacy, Cultural Competency and Limited English Proficiency.
Unified Health Communication 101: Addressing Health Literacy, Cultural Competency, and Limited English Proficiency is a free on-line learning experience that will help you: improve your patient communication skills increase your awareness and knowledge of the three main factors that affect your communication with patients: health literacy, cultural competency and low English proficiency implement patient-centered communication practices that demonstrate cultural competency and appropriately address patients with limited health literacy and low English proficiency You may choose to take the course for credit (CEU/CE, CHES, CME, CNE) or not for credit. The course has five modules and is estimated to take a total of 5 hours to complete. You may complete the course at your own pace.

When Your Patient is a Googler. Health Websites You Both Can Trust.
This presentation is an overview of the content of MedlinePlus, a portal to reliable patient health websites, from the perspective of the health care provider. Health care providers will learn about information seeking behaviors of their patients and the importance of reliable health information for patients. MedlinePlus features include Health Topics, Drugs & Supplements, Medical Encyclopedia, News, Local Health Resources, Online Tutorials, and Videos.