Friday, December 18, 2009

Toxicology Tools

Toxicology is a relatively new scientific discipline that affects all aspects of our lives and our environment. To learn more, visit one or all of the following online information resources brought to you by the National Library of Medicine in collaboration with other trusted providers.

ToxLearn - a Multi-module toxicology tutorial
http://toxlearn.nlm.nih.gov/

Tox Town - Environmental health concerns and chemicals where you live, work and play
http://toxtown.nlm.nih.gov/

TOXNET - Databases on toxicology, hazardous chemicals, environmental health, and toxic releases.
http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/

ToxMystery - Interactive learning site, designed to help kids age 7 to 10 find clues about toxic substances that can lurk in the home
http://toxmystery.nlm.nih.gov/

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Virtual Discharge Nurse: Always On Call

Timothy Bickmore, computer scientist at Northeastern University in Boston, is working to improve patients’ understanding of discharge instructions. He reports that approximately 20 percent of patients who are discharged from the hospital are readmitted within 30 days with problems that could be preventable.

He has developed a virtual patient advocate to help patients work through issues before they are discharged. A three-year clinical trial of the virtual nurse began at Boston Medical Center in fall 2008. The trial will ultimately enroll 750 patients; 220 have participated so far.

To develop the virtual nurse, Bickmore listened to doctors and nurses, then combined their verbal expressions and gestures into the animated character.

Typically, patients spend about 30 minutes with the virtual nurse, reviewing an “After-Hospital Care Plan” booklet they have been given. The touch screen computer can be wheeled to a patient's bed and is programmed with each patient's discharge instructions. Elizabeth, the virtual discharge nurse, can talk about the 1,500 most commonly prescribed medications and quizzes patients to make sure they understand.

Read more at: http://www.northeastern.edu/news/stories/2009/04/robonurse.html

Watch the video at: http://www.ivanhoe.com/science/story/2009/12/655a.html

Friday, November 20, 2009

Social Networking for Health Information

While finding health information online is not a new phenomenon, a recent NPR report highlights the growing trend of e-patients using social networking sites to communicate with medical professionals as well as to chat with other e-patients.

Patients are often far ahead of doctors and hospitals when it comes to using the Internet. E-patients are retrieving and sharing health information online in growing numbers.

Read more or listen at:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120381580

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Chronic Kidney Disease Prevention Video

A new educational video, produced by the Wisconsin Diabetes Prevention and Control Program (DHS), the National Kidney Foundation of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Lions Foundation, is being distributed to all Wisconsin public libraries at no cost.


The DVD discusses prevention, causes and treatment, and the importance of early detection. It targets people, with or at risk of, diabetes and high blood pressure. Both English and Spanish-language versions are available on the DVD.

For more information, go to the Wisconsin Lions Website. There you will find contact info and playable versions of the video.

http://www.wlf.info/


1) Click on Projects drop-down

2) Choose Community Diabetes Education Project option

3) Scroll down

Friday, October 30, 2009

Have a Safe Halloween Weekend!

The CDC has some tips to stay safe and healthy this Halloween. Read more at:


http://www.cdc.gov/Features/HalloweenSafety/


Forgot to send that special someone a Halloween greeting?

It’s not too late to send a Halloween Health e-card. The CDC makes it easy.

Select from Germ Monster or the Flying Witch or others. Each with a helpful health message built in.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

PubMed Redesign Coming Soon!

PubMed will soon have a new look.  Don't be caught off guard.

Learn more at:

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/techbull/so09/so09_pm_redesign.html

Friday, October 2, 2009

Friday, September 4, 2009

Flu Prevention Videos

The Florida Department of Health and the US Department of Health and Human Services have each created a number of short videos worth watching. Some of these are very clever. And, they provide a serious message packaged with a chuckle or two.

See:
FL Dept of Health has a sense of humor. http://www.fifthguy.com/

Check out the cougher and the sick at home videos. See side bar.


US Dept of HHS

http://www.youtube.com/USGOVHHS

Monday, August 31, 2009

The Great Flu Game

Concern about the worldwide spread of H1N1 has sparked many creative approaches to capture the world’s attention and provide helpful information to encourage prevention and intervention.


Dutch researchers have created a free computer game which illustrates potential dangers by challenging players to control a pandemic. As the head of the fictitious "World Pandemic Control," players pick a flu strain, and then monitor that strain's spread around the world. They set up surveillance systems, stock pile antivirals and vaccines, and decide whether to close public facilities. Players must also consider existing health budgets and political implications. Simulated news clippings appear and provide additional information.

It is actually what is happening now, what is happening in the real world," said Albert Osterhaus, head of virology at the Erasmus Medical Center, who designed 'The Great Flu' game with colleagues.

While the game does have weak points, it is certainly worth a second click. And, it provides a look into a growing genre, namely serious games for health which cover complex health topics through game-play strategies that lead to stealth learning opportunities.

I hope developers will see fit to fill in a bit more "behind-the-scences" information to give the player and the reviewer more guidance, more history and more assurance that this is a product based on good science.

See the game and give it a try at: http://www.thegreatflu.com/

Friday, June 26, 2009

AHRQ Annual Portrait of Health Care Quality - State-By-State

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s 2008 state data provide information about health care quality, including strengths, weaknesses and opportunities for improvement.

Snaphots summarize health care quality in three dimensions: type of care (preventive, acute and chronic care), setting of care (hospitals, ambulatory, nursing homes and home health care) and by clinical areas (cancer, diabetes, heart disease, maternal and child health and respiratory disease).

“The State Snapshots are an invaluable resource for state officials, health care providers and purchasers to help them better understand the extent of health care quality and disparities in their states,” said AHRQ Director Carolyn M. Clancy, M.D. “With this information, they can take the necessary steps to improve health care quality and address persistent gaps in access to health care.”

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is also releasing state-by-state reports on the health care status quo. The reports are available at www.HealthReform.gov.


See how Wisconsin measures up!

http://statesnapshots.ahrq.gov/snaps08/index.jsp

Many Young Adults = No Health Insurance, No Doctor, No Concern

Released: Thu 25-Jun-2009, 20:00 ET by Newswise:


"Approximately 5 million adults age 19 to 23 in the United States had no health insurance in 2006 for the entire year and 30 percent of them said they didn’t think it was worth the cost, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

The analysis by the federal agency found that 46 percent (2.2 million) of uninsured young adults worked full time and 26 percent (1.3 million) worked part time. Some 81 percent of the 5 million young adults who were uninsured through all of 2006 were not full-time students.
The report by AHRQ also shows that in 2006:
• Young adults who were uninsured for the entire year were only about half as likely as those who had insurance part of the year to have a usual source of care, such as a family doctor (36 percent vs. 70 percent). • More than two-thirds of young adults without insurance for the entire year did not see a doctor. • Young men were more likely than young women to be uninsured all year (30 percent vs. 18 percent).

AHRQ, which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, improves the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of health care for all Americans. The data in this AHRQ News and Numbers summary are taken from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), a detailed source of information on the health services used by Americans, the frequency with which they are used, the cost of those services, and how they are paid. "

For more information, go to Characteristics of Uninsured Young Adults:

Estimates for the U.S. Civilian Noninstitutionalized Population 19-23 years of age, 2006

(http://www.meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_files/publications/st246/stat246.pdf).

MLA Releases Health Information Literacy Tutorial

From MLA-FOCUS 06/25/2009:

MLA is happy to announce the availability of a free web-based health information literacy tutorial, " Prescription for Information: Addressing Health Information Literacy ," developed by Gail Kouame, Consumer Health Coordinator, National Network of Libraries of Medicine Pacific Northwest Region, for MLA's Health Information Literacy (HIL) Research Project.


The tutorial is for health care providers and emphasizes the importance of health literacy and the challenges patients face in understanding medical terminology. It also helps participants recognize the impact that low health literacy has on patient care and learn about health information resources and strategies available to them and their patients. The tutorial also describes health literacy services provided by medical librarians.


The "Prescription for Information" tutorial is based upon the health information literacy curriculum, "Putting Information into Health Literacy," developed by Sabrina Kurtz-Rossi for the MLA HIL project. The project was funded under NLM contract HHSN276200663511/NO1-LM-6-3511 with coprincipal investigators Jean Pugh Shipman, AHIP, FMLA, and Carla J. Funk, CAE.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

United We Serve Initiative

June 16, 2009


Today, in a video message, President Obama unveiled United We Serve - a sustained effort to expand the size and impact of volunteer efforts in addressing tough challenges facing the nation.

The initiative, which will be led by the Corporation for National and Community Service, officially kicks off on June 22, and runs for 81 days through a new National Day of Service and Remembrance on September 11.

To make it easy to get involved, the President is urging Americans to visit the Corporation's web site, Serve.gov, where visitors can search for local volunteer opportunities, recruit volunteers by posting their organization's projects, or get ideas for creating their own projects with friends, families, and neighbors.

During this summer, the President is renewing his call to all Americans to identify needs in their communities, engage in meaningful service to create change - and stay engaged long after September. The President's call focuses on four key areas where everyone can make an impact in their community: energy and the environment, health care, education and community renewal.

Please go to Serve.gov today to view the President's video, and get started on your summer of service.

In Service, Nicola GorenActing CEOCorporation for National and Community Service

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

The Social Life of Health Information - Pew Report

Jun 11, 2009

The Social Life of Health Information, by Susannah Fox, Sydney Jones

Americans’ pursuit of health takes place within a widening network of both online and offline sources. The findings in this report come from a national phone survey done by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project in partnership with the California HealthCare Foundation. Some 2,253 adults, age 18 and older, were interviewed in December 2008 about the social impact of the internet on health care. The interviews were conducted in English or Spanish and included 502 cell-phone interviews.


Findings:

  • 61% of American adults look online for health information.
  • American adults continue to turn to traditional sources of health information, even as many of them deepen their engagement with the online world.
  • The social life of health information is robust.
  • A majority of e-patients access user-generated health information.
  • Social networking sites are used only sparingly for health queries and updates.
  • Online health inquiries have an impact on decisions or actions and there are clearly more positive experiences than negative ones.
  • Internet users report a surge of interest in information about exercise and fitness.
  • Change is coming, whether through the spread of wireless devices or generational shifts.


Read more in full report at:

http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2009/8-The-Social-Life-of-Health-Information.aspx

Monday, June 1, 2009

Search Clouds in MedlinePlus

What are people searching in MedlinePlus? The search clouds will tell the story!


Search clouds, added to MedlinePlus in both English and Spanish versions in April 2009, display the top 100 searches and are updated daily. The search terms appear in alphabetical order, with the font size representing the relative search frequency. The bigger the term, the more often it is searched by people who visit MedlinePlus. A term's exact ranking is found by placing the cursor over the term. Clicking on the term within the cloud will initiate a MedlinePlus search.

Spanish and English clouds are unique and may show different search terms and different search frequencies.

The clouds are linked from the MedlinePlus and MedlinePlus en espaƱol homepages.


http://medlineplus.gov/

http://medlineplus.gov/spanish/

Friday, May 29, 2009

Understanding Medical Words

It’s all Greek to me! It’s like alphabet soup?

MedlinePlus has a new interactive online tutorial to help the health information consumer gain comfort with medical terminology.

The graphical slides, which you forward at your own speed, take a path through a series of explanations including deciphering root words accompanied by graphics, abbreviations, interjected quizzes, links back to MedlinePlus for illustration and more.

Check it out!

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/medicalwords/

Friday, May 15, 2009

H1N1 Flu Update

From the CDC: View US map with confirmed cases by state.

http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/update.htm



From MedlinePlus: Overview, news, symptoms, treatment, prevention, management, etc.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/h1n1fluswineflu.html

MedEdPORTAL

The Association of American Medical Colleges has a website that is filled with free resources regarding medical and dental education.

The Website offers "peer-reviewed teaching resources such as tutorials, virtual patients, simulation cases, lab guides, videos, podcasts, assessment tools, etc."

Visitors familiar with the rising importance of cultural competence education in the healthcare setting will be interested in "The Cultural Self-Awareness Workshop", which is under the Featured Publications heading on the homepage. In the exercises' abstracts visitors can find the intended learner and faculty audience, lessons learned, and educational objectives.

Explore at:

http://services.aamc.org/30/mededportal/servlet/segment/mededportal/information/

Reported by The Scout Report -- April 24, 2009

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

MedlinePlus Magazine - Spanish Version Added

Earlier this year, MedlinePlus introduced an improved online version of NIH MedlinePlus the Magazine and the new companion magazine NIH MedlinePlus Salud. NIH MedlinePlus the Magazine is a publication of the Friends of the National Library of Medicine (FNLM) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The National Alliance for Hispanic Health collaborates with FNLM and NIH on the bilingual NIH MedlinePlus Salud.

NIH MedlinePlus the Magazine is a quarterly publication that debuted with the Summer 2006 issue. In the online version, each of the eleven magazine issues published to date has a table of contents that links to a separate Web page for each article. The articles contain the same information and illustrations as the printed version. In addition, users are able to navigate to other Web sites mentioned in the articles. The premier issue of NIH MedlinePlus Salud, Winter 2009, available in print and online, is organized in the same way. Each article is available in Spanish and English. See the press announcement for additional information about NIH MedlinePlus Salud.

Subscriptions are available free of charge. Please e-mail your name and address to publicinfo@mail.nlm.nih.gov or call 301.496.6308.


Adapted from: Miller N, Jentsch J. NIH MedlinePlus® the Magazine Now Available in Online Versions. NLM Tech Bull. 2009 Jan-Feb;(366):e13.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

February is American Heart Month

This month, millions will help spread the critical message that "Heart Disease Doesn't Care What You Wear–It's the #1 Killer of Women." Be one of those many to support and promote the message of better heart health.

See details, including campaign toolkits, logos, flyers, newsletters and more at the Heart Truth Website:

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/educational/hearttruth/