NLM has released a new version of the MedlinePlus search cloud widget code in English and Spanish. We have enhanced the code by replacing the Flash code with Javascript. Please make sure your site uses the latest code for this widget. We will support older versions of this widget for a limited time through March. For details, go to http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/widgets.html.

[Announcement from NLM]

The Pew Internet and American Life Project’s latest report, “Tracking for Health” explores how people track health indicators or symptoms, such as weight, blood pressure, blood sugar, headaches or sleep patterns. The findings show that tracking health is a powerful way to take charge of managing one’s health. Key findings of the report include:

• Seven in ten US adults track a health indicator for themselves or for a loved one.
• People living with chronic conditions are significantly more likely to track a health indicator or symptom.
• Tracking on paper, spreadsheet, mobile device – or just “in their heads”
• One in two trackers say they keep track of progress “in their heads”
• One in three trackers say they track the data on paper, like in a notebook or journal.
• One in five trackers say they use some form of technology to track their health data.
• People with more serious health concerns take their tracking more seriously
• Half of all trackers update their record or notes only occasionally and most do not share their data with anyone else.
• Tracking can affect someone’s overall approach to health.
• Tracking has had a more significant impact on people living with chronic conditions.

The report identifies that trackers are more likely to ask questions at their health visits. Encouraging patients to jot down their concerns and questions before health visits is a standard health literacy technique. The AHRQ’s Questions are the Answer, NSPF AskMe3, and Health Literacy Missouri’s Clear Conversations are three different approaches to the same technique. What if providers gave patients mini-notebooks with a mini-pencil to track their health — the way the dentist gives you a toothbrush and dental floss? And, also recommended the top tracking apps and sites?

The report identifies the percentage of adults who track the following:

• 60% track weight, diet, or exercise routine
• 33% track any other health indicators like blood pressure, sleep patterns, headaches, etc
• 12% track any health indicators for a loved one
• 69% total who track any health indicator for themselves or others

Monitoring diet and exercise is recognized as a common characteristic of individuals who lost weight and kept it off over time. (http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/losing_weight/keepingitoff.html) Hopefully, the results of this report will encourage more people (myself included!) to take better care of our health and start journaling in notebook, website, or app! Whether it is a notebook, a sheet of paper, a website, or app, the report shows – tracking helps! It has the potential to affect your overall approach to maintaining your health or the health of a loved one.

What does this report mean for librarians? Let’s add more resources to our collections to help patients track their health. Purchase consumer health books that include journals/trackers. Link to resources like MedlinePlus Health Check Tools and identify the best health apps and mobile sites for “trackers.” Hospital librarians can share the top journal and tracking resources with patient educators. I wondered why the report showed such limited use of the web for tracking, when so many people are using the web for health information. Results showed only one percent used a website tracking tool. Perhaps lack of trust with the web discourages online health tracking. Librarians can share health check sites with patients that protect their confidentiality and privacy.

Or, perhaps people just don’t know where to find them. MedlinePlus is a great source for free online health trackers. Take a look at the MedlinePlus Health Check Tools page, which include the trackers listed below and many others:

•  Supertracker. My Foods. My Fitness. My Health.  [USDA]
• Supertracker, Food-A-Pedia [USDA]
• Stress-O-Meter [CDC/Body and Mind]
• Calorie Counter [Cancer.gov]
• Exercise Counts [Cancer.gov]

My thanks to Susannah Fox for sharing this report with me and my colleague Myrna Morales for connecting me with Susannah.

-Michelle Eberle, Consumer Health Information Coordinator

Monday, March 25, 2013
Boston, MA

“When your life’s work has meaning, it’s not a job, it’s a passion. HxD 2013 was designed for you. The you with an insatiable curiosity. The you that’s been a patient, or has taken care of one and knows we must do better. The you that got into this work to make a difference.
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Speakers include: Jane McGonigal, Chief Creative Officer, SuperBetter; Gretchen Rubin, Author of The Happiness Project; David Sobel, Medical Director of Patient Education and Health Promotion for Kaiser Permanente, Northern California and Jamie Heywood, Cofounder and Chairman of PatientsLikeMe.

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New York and Boston have declared Public Health Emergencies; Dr. Anthony Facui, , director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, has indicated that we in what is classically described as a flu epidemic. In response to this, as librarians and information specialists, we can share messages through our social media communication tools on reliable and trustworthy health information. Below are suggested messages developed by the Health and Human Services New Media Team. Consider using them on your accounts this week!

Siobhan Champ-Blackwell, MSLIS (Contractor)
Health Sciences Librarian
Aquilent, Inc., supporting the mission of the National Library of Medicine
Specialized Information Services Division
Disaster Information Management Research Center
siobhan.champ-blackwell@nih.gov
https://twitter.com/NLM_DIMRC

Twitter
• It takes 2 weeks after vaccination for you to be protected. Use our finder to find a #flu vaccine center near you. http://bit.ly/Soutac
• Teachers-help keep your classrooms free of germs. Teach healthy habits at school to prevent flu in your classroom. http://go.usa.gov/gmfJ
• There are three different types of #flu shot and a nasal spray. Which is the right one for you? http://go.usa.gov/YpKQ
• #Flu activity is high across most states in the US now. Learn more about preventing #flu. Visit www.flu.gov.
• Vaccination is the best protection against #flu but vaccine may be limited in some areas. Use http://flushot.healthmap.org to locate vaccine.
• Got the #flu? Don’t share it. Stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever goes away. Visit www.Flu.gov • It’s #flu season. www.Flu.gov provides advice on caring for yourself and loved ones who are sick.
• If you still need #flu vaccine, now’s the time to get vaccinated. #Flu is widespread in many states.
• #FluView, a weekly report of #flu activity in the U.S., is available on the @CDCgov website at http://1.usa.gov/e30wKG
• Find out what’s happening near you on the @CDCgov #flu map. http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/usmap.htm

Facebook
• If you haven’t already been vaccinated for the flu, now’s the time. Vaccine may be limited in some areas. You may need to contact more than one provider (pharmacy, health department, or doctor) to find available vaccine. Visit www. http://flushot.healthmap.org for more information.
• Learn more about how to care for loved ones with the flu, including people at high risk (children, seniors, and people with chronic conditions). Start by getting vaccinated, practicing healthy habits like covering your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, and washing hands regularly. Visit www.flu.gov for more information.

Nicholas Garlow
Digital Communications Division
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
@HHSNewMedia