By Mandy Meloy, community outreach coordinator

Most of us know that Medlineplus.gov is a reliable, up-to-date health information website for consumers created by the National Library of Medicine (NLM). But, did you know that Medlineplus.gov offers resources for health professionals, too?
These resources include:

• Patient Education Materials such as handouts, pictures, easy-to-read resources, and interactive tutorials in English and Spanish.
• Access to images, diagrams, surgical videos, directories, and the latest health news.
• Searches in Pubmed/MEDLINE
• Links to other NLM and National Institutes of Health (NIH) databases including ClinicalTrials.gov, NIHSeniorHealth.gov, DailyMed, Dietary Supplements Labels Database, and Genetics Home Reference
• Links to additional resources including professional organizations and popular topics such as genetic testing and health literacy.

To further help health professionals keep up-to-date, MedlinePlus offers email lists and RSS feeds on general or specific topics and a subscription to the NIH MedlinePlus Magazine. MedlinePlus can also assist health professionals with free materials to empower patients to look up quality information on their own health at www.informationrx.org.

For a MedlinePlus brochure for Health Professionals, please see http://nnlm.gov/training/resources/mp4hptri.doc. This brochure may be freely reproduced and was developed by the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM) staff.

http://www.hrsa.gov/healthliteracy/training.htm/

The Health Resources and Services Administration is offering a new, free, online course, “Unified Health Communication 101: Addressing Health Literacy, Cultural Competency, and Limited English Proficiency”. Those taking the course can receive five credits (CEU/CE, CHES, CME, CNE). The course does not offer MLA CE, but is valuable for librarians as they reach out to provide support and information to the public and health professionals and would provide them another option to obtain continuing education units. To take the course, you will need to register with TRAIN, the distance-learning resource for public health professionals sponsored by the Public Health Foundation with support from HRSA.

In addition, The Unified Health Communication course complements The Medical Library Association and National Institutes of Health/National Library of Medicine (NLM) work in literacy research, curriculum design and hospital outreach. Please, freely share this information with other colleagues.

Participating in Clinical Trials

Table of Contents

• What is Clinical Trial?
• Finding a Clinical Trial
• Informed Consent
• Should I Join a Clinical Trial?
• Frequently Asked Questions
• MedlinePlus - more information on Participating in Clinical Trials

The new clinical trials topic on NIHSeniorHealth will help older adults understand this vital area of medical research. Older adults who log on to NIHSeniorHealth.gov will find information to help them make informed decisions, including questions they should ask and the answers they should look for if they are thinking of joining a trial. The new topic explains basic terms, the types and phases of trials, the informed consent process and the benefits, risks, and built-in safeguards for trial participants.

Developed by the National Library of Medicine, Participating in Clinical Trials is the latest addition to NIHSeniorHealth’s roster of 33 topics targeting the health interests of older adults.

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

September

• The What’s New on MedlinePlus page debuts. The page provides information on new MedlinePlus topics and features and has a corresponding RSS feed.
• Go Local expands its coverage with the addition of Health-E Illinois, serving the entire state of Illinois.
• NLM® Launches New Web Search Engine: NLM Web Site, MedlinePlus, MedlinePlus en Español both of which allow easier, more efficient navigation.

July

• My Health Minnesota → Go Local launches providing Minnesotans with a new way to find local health services.

June

• MedlinePlus was the top government news/information web site in the American Customer Satisfaction Index during the second quarter with a score of 87. MedlinePlus en español scored 85.
• MedlinePlus launches a Hispanic awareness campaign with Don Francisco, the television host of Sábado Gigante. The campaign features television and radio public service announcements which encourage Latinos to use MedlinePlus to learn about health and wellness. See the press announcement and more about the campaign.

March

• MedlinePlus offers new content on the English and Spanish Health Topic pages. Topic summaries and synonyms provide a quick introduction to each disease or condition while the image on each page provides visual interest. Reorganized subcategories and a redesigned table of contents improve page navigation. Learn more.

January

• Michigan Go Local launches, providing statewide directory of health services for the entire state of Michigan.

The monthly newsletter brings you practical health news and tips based on the latest NIH research, is now online at http://newsinhealth.nih.gov/.

In this issue:

Watch Your Cholesterol: Why You Should Keep Your Blood Level in Check
You’ve heard that you should lower your cholesterol, but do you know why? Sometimes we tend to ignore advice when we don’t understand the reasons. That’s why it’s important to learn what cholesterol is, what it does in your body and why you need to make sure too much isn’t flowing in your blood.
Full story - http://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2008/January/docs/01features_01.htm

The Cause of Achy Jaws?It May Be a TMJ Disorder
You need it for talking, chewing, smiling, yawning, laughing and singing. It’s the jaw joint—technically known as the temporomandibular joint (TMJ)—one of the hardest working and most complex joints in your body. You usually don’t give it a second thought, and you usually don’t need to. But if something goes wrong, your TMJ can cause nagging pain and limit the flexibility of your jaw. In extreme cases, the pain can be long-lasting and debilitating.
Full story - http://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2008/January/docs/01features_02.htm

Health Capsules: http://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2008/January/docs/02capsules.htm

• Heart Attack Symptoms in Women
• Fit Seniors May Live Longer
• Featured Web Site: Tips for Teens with Diabetes

You can also click here: http://newsinhealth.nih.gov/pdf/NIHNiH%20January08.pdf to download a PDF version for printing.

Subscribe to receive alerts when new issues of NIH News in Health are posted online by going to https://list.nih.gov/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=nihnewsinhealth-l&A=1.

Please remember to pass the word on to your colleagues about The NIH News in Health.

December 18, 2007

Read the latest issue of the NIH MedlinePlus Magazine. http://www.fnlm.org/magazine/fall07.pdf
Highlights include:

• Controlling Asthma
• Easing Chronic Pain
• Understanding Alzheimer’s
• Space: The New Medical Frontier

by Linda Celet Bane, Assistant College Librarian, Mary F. Shipper Library/LRC, Potomac State College, Keyser, WV

Americans, especially those in rural areas without easy access to medical libraries, are turning to the Internet for health information. Many, however, fear that they won’t be able to find reliable health information. The Western Maryland Health Education Center (WMAHEC) and its partners designed West Virginia Outreach II (subcontract #N01-LM-6-3502) to train high school and college students, teachers, librarians, and parish nurses in Northern and Central West Virginia to use the National Library of Medicine’s free databases to find the high quality and reliable health information they need to make sound health care choices.

West Virginia Outreach II was the second project sponsored by the National Network/Libraries of Medicine, Southeastern/Atlantic Region. It continued the first project and expanded the audience and geographic area covered by West Virginia Outreach I. In order to reach a broader range of West Virginians, WMAHEC partnered with the Health Sciences and Technology Academy (HSTA) of West Virginia University, the Nurse Program of the West Virginia University School of Nursing, the West Virginia Library Commission (WVLC), the Northern West Virginia Rural Health Education Center (NWVRHEC), the Northern West Virginia Rural Health Education Partnerships (NWVRHEP), and the West Virginia University Health Careers Opportunity Program (HCOP).

Susan Stewart, WMAHEC’s Executive Director, directed the project. D. Michele Beaulieu, WMAHEC’s Program Coordinator, coordinated the training and traveled throughout West Virginia presenting workshops in Farmington, Flatwoods, Grantsville, Kingwood, Morgantown, Mt. Zion, and Spencer. An additional workshop was held in Cumberland, MD for students in the WMAHEC Exploring Careers in Health Occupations (ECHO) program.

The goals of the project were to teach individual West Virginians to locate and use reliable health information when making medical decisions and to train professionals so that they can train their students, library patrons, and patients in the future.

Each workshop lasted two hours and involved hands on use of computers. Each participant received an information package with an agenda, a pre-test, a post-test, handouts on basic Internet terms and each of the databases. Trainees searched the Medline/PubMed, MedlinePlus, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases. They also searched the NIHSeniorHealth.gov, Genetics Home Reference, and GoLocal databases.

The results of the pre/post tests and evaluations were overwhelmingly positive. While the range of each group’s pre/post test scores varied, they invariably improved for each group. One HSTA group average improved from 38% on the pre-test to 80% on the post-test. The evaluations and comments were also extremely positive. Some sample comments:

• “I thought this was a very good tool for the future.”
• “Wonderful presentation. Can’t wait to share with coworkers and patrons.”
• “The program was very helpful and has given me information I was not aware of. I have learned to be more careful when using search engines.”

One measure of the success of the project is that the West Virginia Library Association (WVLA) workshop had standing room only and WMAHEC has been invited to present the workshop again at the next WVLA Spring Fling in 2008. Another is that the instructors in the HSTA program were pleased that the flexibility of the workshop design allowed it to mesh with their student’s individual research projects.

For more information about West Virginia Outreach II or WMAHEC, please contact WMAHEC at Columbia Building, 11 Columbia Street, Cumberland, MD 21502 or (301) 777-9150.

Web Sites for the groups/programs mentioned:

• Western Maryland AHEC - http://ahec.allconet.org/
• National Library of Medicine - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/
• National Network/Libraries of Medicine, Southeastern/Atlantic Region - http://nnlm.gov/sea/
• Health Sciences and Technology Academy of West Virginia University - http://www.wv-hsta.org/
• Parish Nurse Program of the West Virginia University School of Nursing - http://www.hsc.wvu.edu/son/academicPrograms/parish/index_parish.htm
• WV Library Commission - http://librarycommission.lib.wv.us/
• WV Library Association - http://www.wvla.org/
• Northern West Virginia Rural Health Education Center - http://www.glenville.edu/NWVRHEC/
• Northern West Virginia Rural Health Education Partnerships - http://www.wvrhep.org/nwvrhec/INDEX.HTM
• West Virginia University Health Careers Opportunity Program - http://www.cahcon.org/index.html
• WMAHEC Exploring Careers in Health Occupations - http://ahec.allconet.org/echo/

For additional information, please contact:
Linda Celet Bane
132 James Street
Keyser, WV 26726-2620
LCBane@verizon.net
304-788-3793

The new edition of NIH MedlinePlus magazine features sections on understanding stroke, as well as help with back pain, and advice on smart food choices.

In the cover story, film actor and academy award winner Kirk Douglas says that his stroke in 1996 was ‘a blessing in disguise’ . Douglas explains his post-stroke commitment to speech therapy and exercise revitalized his appreciation for life, learning and health and affection for friends and family.

An accompanying article explains most strokes are either ischemic (or mini-strokes when the blood supply to the brain stops temporarily) or hemorrhagic — when a blood vessel breaks and bleeds into the brain. About 700,000 Americans suffer a stroke annually. Strokes are more common among African Americans than other racial or ethnic groups in the U.S.
The special section in NIH MedlinePlus magazine summarizes National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) ‘know stroke’ educational campaign. It explains the warning signs of a stroke include:

• sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg (especially on one side of the body)
• sudden confusion, trouble speaking, or understanding speech
• sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
• sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
• a sudden severe headache with no known cause.

NIH MedlinePlus magazine notes some preventive steps for stroke are to:

• quit smoking
• get medical help to reduce high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, or high cholesterol – all of which are significant risk factors for stroke.

For more information on stroke, help with back pain, and advice on smart food choices, go to http://www.fnlm.org/magazine/summer2007.pdf.

FDA has developed an integrated strategy for protecting the nation’s food supply at:http://www.fda.gov/oc/initiatives/advance/food/plan.html

FDA’s Integrated Plan Provides Three Elements of Protection:

PREVENT Foodborne Contamination

Promote Increased Corporate Responsibility to Prevent Foodborne Illnesses
Identify Food Vulnerabilities and Assess Risks
Expand the Understanding and Use of Effective Mitigation Measures

INTERVENE at Critical Points in the Food Supply Chain

Focus Inspections and Sampling Based on Risk
Enhance Risk-Based Surveillance
Improve the Detection of Food System “Signals” that Indicate Contamination

RESPOND Rapidly to Minimize Harm

Improve Immediate Response
Improve Risk Communications to the Public, Industry and Other Stakeholders

http://www.mchb.hrsa.gov/whusa_07/

Women’s Health USA provides data and information on emerging issues and trends in women’s health. Racial and ethnic, sex/gender, and socioeconomic disparities are highlighted where possible.

Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) releases Women’s Health USA 2007, the sixth edition of the Women’s Health USA data book. To reflect the ever changing, increasingly diverse population and its characteristics, Women’s Health USA selectively highlights emerging issues and trends in women’s health. Data and information on autoimmune diseases, gynecological and reproductive disorders, and digestive disorders are a few of the new topics included in this edition.
Where possible, every effort has been made to highlight racial and ethnic, sex/gender, and socioeconomic disparities. In some instances, it was not possible to provide data for all races due to the size of the sample population.

Go to http://www.mchb.hrsa.gov/whusa_07/pdf/w07ctocprg.pdf to print a copy.

To order your complimentary copy of Women’s Health USA 2007, mail your request to:
HRSA Information Center
P.O. Box 2910
Merrifield, VA 22116