In This Issue:

• Home
  
  
• The Upper Corner
  
  
• Announcements
  
  
• Chic Chat
  
  
• ILLAdvised
  
  
• Public Health Review
  
  
• PubMed Particulars
  
  
• Tech Time
  
  
• From the NLM Technical Bulletin
  
  
• Links
  
  

MedlinePlus.gov – New Look!

In late March, the health topics pages on MedlinePlus.gov got a new look.

• A photograph or illustration on each page
• A brief summary of each condition at the top of the page. (Approximately 50% of the English Health Topics pages include the brief summary. Eventually all of the English and Spanish Health Topic pages will include this information.)
• Synonyms appear right under the health topic name
• A new category, labeled Start Here, will link users to overviews and important information for first-time visitors
• A centrally located Table of Contents will divide the MedlinePlus.gov categories into six boxes to show users everything on the page at a glance

The brief summaries were composed by experienced medical writers and reviewed by NLM staff. The summaries are based largely on NIH and other government information. They are written at an easy to read level and include links to related topics. Summaries appear on about half of the English pages. All English and Spanish pages will have a summary in the near future.

NLM encourages your comments and suggestions about MedlinePlus.gov.

Health Literacy: New Fields, New Opportunities

Announcing a new health literacy tutorial funded by the NNLM-New England Region:

Health Literacy: New Fields, New Opportunities
http://www.healthliteracy.worlded.org/docs/tutorial/SWF/flashcheck/main.htm

• Health literacy challenge
• Who are the health literacy practitioners
• Successful Strategies and Practices
• Applying what you have learned

The resource clearly outlines the challenges and the role for health literacy practitioners.

You may find the tutorial linked on World Education's Health & Literacy Special Collection Webpage which is available at www.healthliteracy.worlded.org

This project was spear headed by Sabrina Kurtz Rossi, who has now been appointed Health Information Literacy Research Project Coordinator for the Medical Library Association.

PubMed Search Tags and Field Qualifiers Guide

http://nnlm.gov/ner/training/material/PubMedFieldTags.doc

Search like an expert! This handy guide lists the major search tags and field qualifiers for advanced PubMed searching. Keep it next to your computer for easy reference.

This guide is intended to be customized with your library's logo and contact information, folded in half and laminated. Don't have a laminator? No problem. It also makes a nice one page handout.

Or better yet... customize and post it on your web site!

Check out Boston University Medical Center's customized version at: http://med-libwww.bu.edu/pdf/pubmedfieldtags.pdf

Feedback on this resource is most welcome.

Thanks to Susan Orlando at the Forsyth Institute for the idea to create this resource and for assisting with content development.

NIH News in Health – May Issue

The May issue of NIH News in Health is here! NIH News in Health is a consumer health newsletter with practical tips to improve your health. You can find it online at: http://newsinhealth.nih.gov. This month’s issue includes articles on eating disorders and how to get the most out of your health care. The column, “Speak Up: Become a Partner in Your Health Care,” features tips for your doctor visits. These include:

• Make a list in advance of the things you want to discuss at your appointment.
• If you don’t understand something your doctor is saying, ask questions until you do understand.
• Take notes, or get a friend or family member to take notes.
• Ask your doctor to write down instructions for you.
• Ask your doctor for printed material about your condition or suggestions for where you can get more information.
• Don’t forget that other members of your health care team, such as nurses and pharmacists, can be good sources of information. Talk to them, too.

The PDF makes a nice addition your consumer health collection or for hospital waiting rooms.