Consumer Health Information from the National Library of Medicine

• MedlinePlus - health information for patients, family and friends
• MedlinePlus en Español - health information for patients, family and friends in Spanish
• NIHSeniorHealth - health information for older adults
• ClinicalTrials.gov - information for patients about clinical research studies
• Genetics Home Reference - your guide to understanding genetic conditions
• Household Products Database - learn about the health effects of common products in your home

To help you as you begin your search

• Finding Consumer Health Information FAQ - frequently asked consumer health questions from the National Library of Medicine (NLM)
• For the Public - health information from NLM
• MedlinePlus Medical Dictionary - medical dictionary
• Deciphering Medspeak - helps you translate common "medspeak" terms, the specialized language of health professionals, from the Medical Library Association (MLA)
• Consumers & Patients - resource for the public from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to improve the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of health care

Evaluating Health Information on the Internet

• Guide to Healthy Web Surfing - a guide to help evaluate health information from NLM
• A User's Guide to Finding and Evaluating Health Information on the Web - another excellent guide from MLA

Consumer and Patient Resources

• The Patient Care Partnership: Understanding Expectations, Rights and Responsiblities - from the American Hospital Association; a plain language brochure available in multiple languages
• All About Advance Directives - information and resources on this topic from MedlinePlus
• Patient Issues - use this page to help you become a smart medical consumer

Find a consumer health librarian who can help you

• MedlinePlus: Libraries - consumer health libraries providing services to local residents
• MedlinePlus: Directories - find doctors, dentists and hospitals
• Find an NN/LM Member Library - find libraries of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM) that provide a variety of services to health professionals and, in many cases, the public

Public Library Directories

Search for public libraries in your community. The following directories of libraries can help you find them.

• California - California Library Directory
• Arizona - Arizona Libraries
• Hawaii - Directory of HSPLS Libraries
• Nevada - Nevada Library Directory (2005) and Statistics
• Asia Pacific - Libraries of Asia Pacific Directory

Contact a group that advocates for your condition

Local and national organizations can be found on the web, through local libraries, your healthcare provider, and the yellow pages under "social service organizations."

• Health Hotlines - find health-related organizations operating toll-free telephone services. Also includes organizations with Spanish speaking services and services for the hearing impaired.
• Directory of Organizations by Health Topic - find links to resources and other organizations