Ebling Library Outreach Blog

Your Family Health Portrait

2010-04-07T15:50:00.002-05:00

In 2004, the Surgeon General launched a national initiative to encourage all American families to learn more about their family health histories.

Knowing your family’s medical history can save your life!

With a copy of your family health history, you and a health care professional can individualize your care to prevent and screen for conditions for which you may be at higher risk.

Find the Family Health Portrait form at:

http://www.hhs.gov/familyhistory/downloads/MyFamilyHealthPortrait--English.pdf

Knowing your family health history is important for knowing one’s risk factors for chronic diseases such as: heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. It is also important for knowing if one is at risk for a rare disease like sickle cell anemia or cystic fibrosis. Once you know your family history you are empowered to take steps to change these risks.

The Surgeon General’s initiative to help document family histories is found at:

https://familyhistory.hhs.gov/fhh-web/home.action

Once you fill in your family’s health information, you can save it and update it later. If you are visiting your doctor, you can print it out and save time in the waiting room and have a ready reference in the future.

Interesting fact: The Surgeon General has declared Thanksgiving to be Family Health History Day so people can feel comfortable asking these important questions.

For additional information, go to:

MedlinePlus: Family History

www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/familyhistory.html

Family Health History from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

www.cdc.gov/genomics/famhistory/index.htm

--Submitted by Alison Gehred

NLM Disaster Information Management Research Center (DIMRC)

2010-03-08T10:18:00.000-06:00

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) provides health information during times of disaster.

The Disaster Information Management Research Center (DIMRC) has been created to aid the nation’s disaster management efforts. DIMRC is tasked with the effective collection, organization, and dissemination of health information for natural, accidental, or deliberate disasters.

See pages devoted to information about recent earthquakes in Chile and Haiti.

Also available from this site - "Earthquakes - Resources for Response and Recovery" links to background information on earthquakes and subsequent health issues, such as traumatic injuries, guidelines for responders, stress and coping, and sanitation issues.

MedlinePlus Goes Mobile

2010-03-01T09:57:00.003-06:00

Earlier this year, the National Library of Medicine launched the long-awaited mobile version of MedlinePlus. It includes many of your favorite MedlinePlus and MedlinePlus en español pages in a display that is optimized for mobile devices.

Mobile MedlinePlus includes:

Topic summaries – “snackable” pieces of information, you can access and digest quickly
News – the latest in treatment, medical research and healthy living tips
Images – visual appeal is important
Encyclopedia articles & drug information – heavily-used content

Mobile MedlinePlus does NOT include:

External links – these pages are not optimized for mobile; they are “regular” Web pages
Interactive tutorials – Flash doesn’t work on many mobile devices
Some licensed content – we’ll work on adding in the future

See more at:
http://m.medlineplus.gov/
http://m.medlineplus.gov/spanish/

Our Health County-By-County

2010-02-19T17:04:00.002-06:00

Report ranks U.S. counties by health care

U.S. researchers have ranked health care for almost every county in the U.S. for the first time in a report released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin. Healthier counties tend to be urban and suburban, while 84% of the 50 least-healthy counties are rural, the data showed. USA TODAY (2/17)

Video: Learn more about the County Health Rankings, and how Juneau County, Wisconsin, is using the data to improve its overall health.

http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/

http://www.med.wisc.edu/news-events/news/county-rankings/26530

This is Public Health Video

2010-01-21T16:23:00.000-06:00

Catchy 3-minute video which points to the many facets of public health.

"This video was created for the THIS IS PUBLIC HEALTH campaign for the Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPH). The campaign consists of 40,000 stickers, 17 schools and a simple microsite that combines a Flickr group with Google Maps." Check it out at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bpu42LmLo4U

Check out the This is Public Health Toolkit also from ASPH.

BadgerLink: Online Information for Wisconsin

2010-01-08T17:31:00.000-06:00

BadgerLink is a collection of online resources, many of them full text and covering a broad range of topics and disciplines, available to Wisconsin residents through their Internet services providers (ISP).

The “Health” category offers 6 options:

Alt HealthWatch
Consumer Health Complete - EBSCOhost
Health Source - Consumer Edition
Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition
Lexi-PALS Drug Guide
MEDLINE

BadgerLink is a project of the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI), Division for Libraries, Technology, and Community Learning. Its goal is to provide access to quality online information resources for Wisconsin residents. Users can search approximately 20,000 full-text magazines, journals, newspapers, reference materials and other specialized information sources. Included are over 8,000 full text magazines and journals, over 1,500 newspapers and newswires, and approximately 6,800 full text books.

Explore at: http://www.badgerlink.net/

Toxicology Tools

2009-12-18T10:57:00.002-06:00

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/

Virtual Discharge Nurse: Always On Call

2009-12-17T15:50:00.002-06:00

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

Social Networking for Health Information

2009-11-20T17:49:00.000-06:00

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

Chronic Kidney Disease Prevention Video

2009-11-11T16:00:00.004-06:00

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

Have a Safe Halloween Weekend!

2009-10-30T17:09:00.002-05:00

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.

PubMed Redesign Coming Soon!

2009-10-07T16:11:00.001-05:00

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

Information Literacy Awareness Month

2009-10-02T16:12:00.004-05:00

President Obama has proclaimed October 2009 as National Information Literacy Awareness Month.

Read more at:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Presidential-Proclamation-National-Information-Literacy-Awareness-Month/

Flu Prevention Videos

2009-09-04T15:59:00.002-05:00

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

The Great Flu Game

2009-08-31T13:20:00.003-05:00

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/

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

2009-06-26T15:45:00.006-05:00

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

2009-06-26T10:05:00.003-05:00

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

2009-06-26T09:24:00.003-05:00

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.

United We Serve Initiative

2009-06-18T14:01:00.003-05:00

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

The Social Life of Health Information - Pew Report

2009-06-16T10:14:00.004-05:00

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

Search Clouds in MedlinePlus

2009-06-01T10:16:00.002-05:00

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 español homepages.

http://medlineplus.gov/

http://medlineplus.gov/spanish/

Understanding Medical Words

2009-05-29T17:26:00.003-05:00

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/

H1N1 Flu Update

2009-05-15T16:56:00.004-05:00

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

2009-05-15T16:47:00.002-05:00

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

MedlinePlus Magazine - Spanish Version Added

2009-04-08T07:58:00.002-05:00

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.

February is American Heart Month

2009-02-12T16:06:00.001-06:00

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/

The Decision Tree Blog

2008-12-29T13:16:00.002-06:00

Thomas Goetz, deputy editor of Wired Magazine, writes about science, health and medicine. In the 2009 January issue, he contributes the cover story – The Truth about Cancer: Why Early Detection Is the Best Way to Beat Cancer.

He is also the proud parent of the Decision Tree blog and an upcoming book by the same title – The Decision Tree. The blog covers topics focused on preventative medicine and the future of healthcare. With a Master of Public Health degree from the University of California, Berkeley, he covers everything from global health to community health to Medicare to pharmaceuticals.

Tune in to his stream insights and information at:

http://thedecisiontree.com/blog/

Oh, the Weather Outside is Frightful!

2008-12-09T12:27:00.003-06:00

The weather outside is frightful, but the information is so delightfully handy from the FEMA Website.

Read all about winter storms from the warmth of your computer, including:

Winter Storm Terms

Before the Winter Storm

During the Winter Storm

After the Winter Storm

http://www.fema.gov/hazard/winter/index.shtm

FDA Teams Up With WebMD

2008-12-03T12:42:00.004-06:00

New Partnership to Inform and Educate Tens of Millions of Americans

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and WebMD today (Dec. 3, 2009) announced a collaboration that expands consumers' access to the agency's timely and reliable important health information. WebMD, which attracts nearly 50 million unique visitors each month, provides consumers with credible and timely health news and information

The partnership includes:

· A new online consumer health information resource on WebMD.com
www.webmd.com/fda

· Cross-linked joint resource FDA's Consumer Updates
www.fda.gov/consumer

· The FDA contributions to WebMD The Magazine: FDA Consumer Updates will also be featured at least three times a year in WebMD's bimonthly magazine, which reaches nearly nine million consumers. The magazine is distributed to physician office waiting rooms across the country.

Preventing Seasonal Flu

2008-11-26T08:57:00.002-06:00

With the flu season just around the corner, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) prescribe a three-step approach to fight the flu.

Take time to get a flu shot.
Take preventive actions like washing hands, covering coughs and sneezes.
Take flu antiviral drugs, if prescribed by your doctor.

This page also provides links to posters/flyers, information alerts, PSAs and Q&A.

To read more, see details at:

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/preventing.htm

For Spanish-language flyer, see:

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/flugallery/2008-09/pdf/Take3_spanish.pdf

MedlinePlus Turns Ten

2008-11-25T15:07:00.002-06:00

MedlinePlus, the popular, consumer-friendly health Web site produced by the National Library of Medicine, turns TEN this year. Launched October 22, 1998, the site has brought trusted health information to people across the country and around the world.

What a difference a decade makes. Since its debut in 1998:

MedlinePlus has grown from 22 health topics to information on more than 770 health topics.
Added a Spanish version, MedlinePlus en español, in 2002 in response to requests from the public and health care community. It is the most comprehensive Spanish language health site in the United States.
Launched a multiple languages collection with information in more than 40 languages and English translations in 2008.

In addition to the health topics, MedlinePlus provides information on drugs and supplements, the latest news, a medical dictionary, an extensive encyclopedia, surgery videos, interactive educational material, and links to other helpful sites to locate clinical trials, understand genetic conditions, and find information specifically for older Americans.

The health information on MedlinePlus is professionally selected from reliable sources including the National Institutes of Health, government organizations, medical associations, and more than one thousand other health organizations such as the Mayo Clinic and the Harvard School of Public Health.

Located in Bethesda, Md., the National Library of Medicine is the world's largest library of the health sciences. For more information, visit the Web site at http://www.nlm.nih.gov.

WI Lt Governor Lawton's Guide for Penny Pinchers

2008-10-13T10:59:00.004-05:00

Wisconsin's Lieutenant Governor Barbara Lawton has launched a new Guide for Penny Pinchers, http://www.GuideForPennyPinchers.com, designed
to connect Wisconsin consumers with information they need to help save money on gas and traveling, home energy, prescription drugs, health care, college tuition, back-to-school savings and more.

Here is a sample of what you'll find there:

Badger Care Plus. BadgerCare Plus is a program for children under 19 years of age and families in Wisconsin who need and want health insurance
Drug Savings Wisconsin State of Wisconsin Prescription Drug Resource Center.
Tips on Saving Money on Prescription Drugs
Prescription Drug Savings Options – State of Wisconsin

Readers are encouraged to submit their own entries for consideration and addition to the list.

See more at: http://www.GuideForPennyPinchers.com

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM)

2008-10-07T10:40:00.000-05:00

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is of interest to many. If you have not already explored the various levels of NIH CAM pages you may want to do so now. Here you will find information on many related topics from acupuncture to yoga. There are additional links to research, clinical trials, training, news and more.

The October 2008 issue of "CAM at the NIH," the quarterly newsletter of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), is now posted at http://nccam.nih.gov/news/newsletter/2008_october

You can also browse the newsletter archives from the Newsletter Home at:
http://nccam.nih.gov/news/newsletter/

In addition to this newsletter, you can subscribe to the monthly "NCCAM Update" eBulletin. To learn more, visit http://nccam.nih.gov/news/ebulletin

Virtual Colonoscopies

2008-09-24T16:01:00.004-05:00

Virtual Colonoscopies Rival Accuracy of Standard Ones

An advanced imaging technique called virtual colonoscopy can detect most of the large precancerous and cancerous polyps that can be found by the more invasive standard colonoscopy.

http://www.nih.gov/news/research_matters/september2008/09222008colonoscopy.htm

[posted on NIH Research Matters for September 22, 2008]

Health Care in America - Film on PBS

2008-09-05T17:15:00.003-05:00

What happens if you fall sick and are one of 47 million people in America without health insurance? Critical Condition puts a human face on the nation's growing health care crisis by capturing the harrowing struggles of four critically ill Americans who discover that being uninsured can cost them their jobs, health, home, savings, and even their lives.

Tune in to the upcoming PBS film. Check viewing details and watch a trailer at:

http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2008/criticalcondition/

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Travelers' Health

2008-07-08T09:18:00.013-05:00

Planning a trip? You may want to stop by the CDC Travelers' Health site before taking off.

http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/default.aspx

Decription from The Scout Report, June 27, 2008

Before any trip, it might not be a bad idea to consult this
fine sitecreated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
It is easy touse and visitors can get started by using their online
"Yellow Book"feature offered on their homepage. With this feature
visitors can look up travel health information for over 90 countries.
Further down the homepage visitors will note that the
"Specific Topics" area contains information on required
vaccinations yellow fever mosquito and tick prevention, avian
influenza outbreaks and other public health matters. Those persons
who might be traveling with special needs will want to take a look at
the "Special Needs Travelers" section as it includes
updates on travelers with HIV, disabilities, or those who might be breast-feeding. On the right-hand side of the site, visitors can look over the "Announcements" area and also take a look at their podcast series. [KMG]

Flooding in Wisconsin

2008-06-19T14:31:00.012-05:00

NLM Drug Information Portal

2008-05-25T09:06:00.002-05:00

From the National Library of Medicine:

Check out the NLM Drug Information Portal at:

http://druginfo.nlm.nih.gov/ .

For the public, healthcare professionals, and researchers, this is a gateway to current and accurate drug information on more than 15,000 drugs.

The search interface requires only a drug name; a spellchecker is provided. Search results include links to related drug information in MedlinePlus®, AIDSinfo®, Medline/PubMed®, LactMed, HSDB®, Dietary Supplements Labels Database, TOXLINE®, DailyMed®, ClinicalTrials.gov, PubChem, NIAID Anti-HIV/OI Database, ChemIDplus®, Drugs@FDA, DEA, and USA.gov .

Have a look. It's worth a visit.

SAVE THE DATE for the Summit

2008-04-01T13:44:00.000-05:00

The 2008 Wisconsin Health Information Outreach Summit is coming up this August 6 at the Health Sciences Learning Center on the UW-Madison campus.

We hope you will be able to join us for another information-packed day of sharing health-related information, unique outreach programs, resources and services.

The Summit Planning Group is working to put together an exciting agenda which will bring you presentations and break-out sessions on a variety of outreach-related topics, including health literacy, personal health records, health in virtual worlds, consumer health outreach programs, patient information centers, online health information resource updates and more. We welcome your thoughts and ideas, your contributions and additions.

To refresh memories of the past Summit agendas from 2004 and 2006, have a look at archives on our Website: http://projects.hsl.wisc.edu/outreach/summit_2008/

And, while there, please take a few minutes to respond to the brief survey. Your input will be valuable in the planning process. Thanks much.

Outreach Toolkit for the film “The Truth About Cancer” available free to libraries

2008-03-19T10:09:00.001-05:00

ALA News Release:

The American Library Association is pleased to announce that it is working with WGBH Boston on the upcoming national outreach campaign for the film “The Truth About Cancer,” which will air on PBS at 9 p.m. on April 16 (check local listings). The 90-minute documentary film, followed by a 30-minute expert panel hosted by news journalist and cancer survivor Linda Ellerbee will be the launching pad for events and projects across the country focused on creating community conversations around cancer survivorship.ALA and WGBH encourage libraries to reach out to their local PBS stations to collaborate with them on events surrounding this film. In addition, WGBH encourages libraries to reach out to its national outreach partners on this project, including the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS), Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the John Wayne Cancer Foundation, Lance Armstrong Foundation, YMCA of the USA and the Coalition of Cancer Cooperative Groups. These collaborations will provide an excellent opportunity for libraries to develop new-or strengthen existing-community partnerships, while offering a valuable service to their communities.To assist in these outreach efforts, WGBH will offer extensive online resources, including downloadable handouts, which will be available on www.pbs.org/takeonestep starting in March 2008. In addition, a limited number of free Outreach Toolkits, including two event posters and a DVD Screener that will include 30 minutes of the film and the full expert panel, is available to libraries that request them. WGBH asks that libraries not hold public screenings using the DVD screener until one week prior to the premiere broadcast.To order the Outreach Toolkit, please go to: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/takeonestep/request.html Materials are limited and are available on a first-come, first-serve basis.This collaborative project with WGBH is administered by the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), a division of ALA. Contact Barbara Macikas, RUSA, bmacikas@ala.org or 1-800-545-2433, ext. 4395.

Bringing Health Information to the Community (BHIC) Blog

2008-02-25T10:53:00.004-06:00

If you are not familiar with this site, you might want to schedule a visit sooner rather than later.

The blog focuses on health information issues related to the community, especially underserved populations. It contains links to many types of information, including articles, conferences, minority health concerns, public health, grants and scholarships and much more. Updates are current and concisely formatted.

It is maintained by health sciences librarian Siobhan Champ-Blackwell, Community Outreach Liaison with the National Network of Libraries of Medicine Mid-Continental Region Library and available through their website http://nnlm.gov/mcr/ which is, itself, worth an extended look.

Registration allows you to add comments to the blog postings. Receive blog postings through your email or subscribe to their RSS feed.

See more at: http://nnlm.gov/mcr/bhic/

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine

2008-01-16T10:52:00.000-06:00

NIH MedlinePlus, the magazine, is a free, trusted consumer guide to a vast array of authoritative online health and medical information.

Published four times a year, the magazine showcases the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) latest medical research and healthcare information. Some health topics covered in past issues include: diabetes, cancer, stroke, asthma, Alzheimer’s, chronic pain, COPD, depression, high blood pressure and more.

Published by the Friends of the National Library of Medicine (FNLM, the magazine provides a gold standard of reliable up-to-date health information in a user-friendly format.
To view online issues, subscribe to your own electronic copy or to order print copies for your organization, see: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/magazine.html

2008 Outreach Summit Survey - Click Here

2007-12-19T16:01:00.001-06:00

Welcome to the new Outreach@Ebling Blog.

We are asking for you assistance in planning the next Wisconsin Health Information Outreach Summit, scheduled to take place in Madison in the summer of 2008. The two previous Summits, the first in 2004 and the second in 2006, were well received and well reviewed by attendees. We would like to continue our practice of listening to your needs and planning accordingly. So, we are asking you to response to a brief Summit survey. Your input will be helpful in planning the 2008 Summit.

The 2006 Summit emphasized evidence-based practice. What would you like to see as the theme for the 2008 Summit? What outreach health topic would you like to learn more about or share with other health information seekers? Some suggestions to date have been:

--Health information literacy
--Public health outreach initiatives in Wisconsin
--Health Information Outreach and Web 2.0
--Consumer health information

There are so many! We would like to know where YOU place the emphasis and where YOU see the greatest needs. Please share your thoughts with us.

If you would like to review the programs of past Summits, see the Summit Archives at http://projects.hsl.wisc.edu/outreach/summit_2008/ Here you will also see the link to the brief survey.

Thanks much and let’s keep reaching out!

Welcome to the New Outreach@Ebling Blog

2007-11-29T13:28:00.000-06:00

Why a blog you ask. We think it would be a wonderful forum to explore health information outreach issues, trends, activities and practices and a great tool for:

Communicating

Engaging

Meeting

Pointing

Sharing

Broadcasting

Awareness raising

Initiating

Informing

Enriching

Collaborating

And more

You name it! Please visit often and pass the word to others!

Email me your input, feedback and contributions and help make the information caldron bubble and boil with the latest news. And, let’s keep reaching out into the future!