Warwick Public Library

Health

Alternative | Cancer | Dental | Food and Nutrition | General Health | Medical Tests | Mental Health | Pediatric Health | Physicians and Hospitals | Prescription Drugs | Senior Health

Featured Resources

Alt Health Watch

This database focuses on the many perspectives of complementary, holistic and integrated approaches to health care and wellness. It offers full text articles for more than 180 international journals and reports. In addition, there are hundreds of pamphlets, booklets, special reports, original research and book excerpts.

Consumer Health Complete

A comprehensive resource for consumer-oriented health information.

Discovering Collection

A collection of reference materials and magazines for the core curriculum areas of Literature, History, Biographies, Science and Social Studies. Grades 5 - 12.

Health and Wellness Resource Center

Consumer-oriented health information. Indexing and abstracts of approximately 200 health-related periodicals and selective indexing of 1500 general interest periodicals. Full text available for about 150 periodicals, 6 reference books, and 500 pamphlets. 1994-.

The subscription for this database was paid by the Warwick Public Library.


Health Reference Center Academic

Use this database to find articles on: Fitness, Pregnancy, Medicine, Nutrition, Diseases, Public Health, Occupational Health and Safety, Alcohol and Drug abuse, HMOs, Prescription Drugs, etc. The material contained in this database is intended for informational purposes only.

The subscription for this database was paid by the Warwick Public Library.

Health Source: Consumer Edition

This database provides access to nearly 300 full-text, consumer health periodicals. It also includes searchable full text for more than 1,000 health-related pamphlets and more than 140 health reference books

The subscription for this database was paid by the Warwick Public Library.

Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition

This database provides full-text access to almost 600 journals, covering many medical disciplines.

MEDLINE

MEDLINE provides authoritative medical information on medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, the health care system, pre-clinical sciences, and much more. MEDLINE was created by the National Library of Medicine.

Salud en Enspanol (Consumer Health Complete)

Provee reportes completos basados en evidencias y fichas de datos relacionados a todos los aspectos de la salud y el bienestar. Reportes específicos por tema que cubren todos los aspectos de la salud, dan información general importante en relación a enfermedades, infecciones y procedimientos de diversos tratamientos, y mucho más.

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Selected Web Sites

Alternative and Complementary Medicine

Dr. Weil.com
http://www.drweil.com/drw/ecs/index.html

Contains health information from Andrew Weil, a Harvard-trained doctor specializing in alternative medicine, mind/body interactions, and medical botany.

Alternative Medicine Homepage
http://www.pitt.edu/~cbw/altm.html

A "jumpstation for information on unconventional, unorthodox, unproven, or alternative, complementary, innnovative, integrative therapies." Maintained by a medical librarian, the site aims to "provide quality information in an objective manner."

National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
http://nccam.nih.gov/

From the National Institutes of Health, this site is "dedicated to exploring complementary and alternative healing practices in the context of rigorous science." Includes fact sheets about complementary and alternative medical (CAM) practices and links to other CAM sites.

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Cancer Information

American Cancer Society: Health Information Seekers
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/home/skr/skr_0.asp?level=0

An excellent resource for patients, families, and cancer survivors, there are sections on cancer risk factors, prevention and early detection, statistics, and information on specific types of an extensive list of cancers (e.g., staging, clinical trials, new research advances, and medical references and resources). You can also enter a zip code for news, activities, and resources in your area.

Cancer.gov: Clinical Trials
http://www.cancer.gov/clinical_trials/

Clinical cancer trials listed by the National Cancer Institute's PDQ (Physician's Data Query) can be searched by type of cancer and trial, location, and other specifications, and limit results by of stage of the disease, treatment, phase of trial, and other fields. Information is presented for health professionals and for patients. There is also information about understanding the trials, particular cancers, and recent developments.

ClinicalTrials
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov

"ClinicalTrials.gov provides regularly updated information about federally and privately supported clinical research in human volunteers." The site includes details about a trial's purpose, who may participate, locations, and phone numbers for more information.

National Cancer Institute
http://www.nci.nih.gov

Information here is reviewed by oncology experts and is based on the results of current research. Find types of cancer, treatment, prevention, the role of genetics, and causes; screening and testing; coping with cancer; support resources; cancer literature; and PDQ (Physician Data Query), a database with the latest information about treatment, screening, prevention, genetics, care, and clinical trials.

Oncolink
http://www.oncolink.com

The site's mission is "to help cancer patients, families, health care professionals and the general public get accurate cancer-related information at no charge." Features current cancer news; descriptions of various cancers (many in Spanish) and treatment options; clinical trials; suggestions for coping with cancer; library of reviews and peer-reviewed journals; and related cancer links.

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Dental Health

American Dental Association
http://www.ada.org/

Information for both the dentist and the patient. The patient and consumer section covers issues and procedures such as tooth whitening, sealants, choosing a dentist, flourides, gum disease, bad breath, and of course tips on brushing your teeth. Research issues, information about dental education, links to ADA publications, and much more is also available.

Simple Steps To Better Dental Health
http://www.simplestepsdental.com/

This site, with content from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dentistry, explains oral health for lay users. Includes information on the anatomy of the mouth and the tooth, oral health, flossing, fillings, implants and root canals, cosmetic dentistry, and the care of children's teeth. Searchable.

Your Dental Health: A Guide for Patients and Families
http://library.uchc.edu/departm/hnet/dentalhealth.html

This annotated resource guide lists books, magazines, Web sites, and organizations dealing with a variety of aspects of dentistry for adults and children. Includes consumer-oriented information about cosmetic dentistry, implants, finding a dentist, medications, current research, and other subjects. From Healthnet, a program of Lyman Maynard Stowe Library, University of Connecticut Health Center.

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Food Safety and Nutrition

Food & Nutrition Information Center
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/

A collection of links about eating disorders, dietary guidelines around the world, the cultural diversity of food in the U.S., newsletters and discussion groups, dietary supplements (including herbs, vitamins, and minerals), food composition, and various food pyramids. Additionally, there are databases of training and educational materials. The Consumer Corner contains materials most often asked for by the public. From the National Agricultural Library and the University of Maryland. Searchable.

Home Food Safety
http://www.homefoodsafety.org/

Keeping food safe and consumers healthy are the objectives of this site. The American Dietetic Association provides information about cooking and storing food safely as well as keeping food preparation areas clean. The site offers a video and interactive kitchen with a quiz about food safety, frequently asked questions, a chance to ask experts questions, and a glossary of terms. There are links to government and organization sites with further information about food safety. Interested users may subscribe to an electronic newsletter. Some information is available in Spanish.

International Food Information Council Foundation
http://ific.org/

Good industry source on food-related issues: nutrition, food additives, pesticides, caffeine, E. coli, MSG, biotechnology, asparteme, food allergies, irradiation etc. Also includes a glossary of food related terms. Note that the Foundation's "programs and activities are supported by a number of leading food and beverage companies."

NutritionData
http://www.nutritiondata.com/Nutrition.gov

This site provides a searchable database of food composition and nutrition information. Each result includes a nutrition facts panel; a calorie ratio pyramid for carbohydrates, fats, and protein; and detailed information about minerals, vitamins, and other components of the food item. Also includes nutritional data for some fast-food restaurants and other nutrition tools. Information is based primarily on data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), supplemented by other sources.

Nutrition.gov
http://www.nutrition.gov/

This federal resource offers easy access to all government Web sites with reliable and accurate information on nutrition and dietary guidance. It provides information on prevention of food-related diseases (diabetes, cancer, heart disease, obesity, etc.), the food pyramid, food labels, health management, recipes, and other topics. Additionally, it links to nutrition and food assistance programs and to "federally supported research, reports, and brochures as well as funding opportunities in the federal government."

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General Health Information

CAPHIS
http://caphis.mlanet.org/

This is the consumer and patient health information section of the National Library of Medicine. It contains a new consumer health resource directory that contains information compiled by librarians for librarians. The Health Consumers section offers “Web sites that you can trust – the Top 100 List”. The sites are annotated.

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
http://www.cdc.gov/

The main site of the CDC, the United States' "lead federal agency for protecting the health and safety of people," an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. Information includes a directory of the CDC's component centers, institutes, and offices; training programs; publications and statistics; conferences and health campaigns; and sections on many health topics.

Familydoctor.org
http://familydoctor.org/

The American Academy of Family Physicians has written and reviewed the topics addressed here. Most topics have a 1 to 2-page handout describing the disease or condition in lay terms. Search by Symptom from a broad list of categories under Health Tools. Search Conditions A-Z with referrals to other organizations and websites.

Health Finder
http://www.healthfinder.gov/

This site for consumers contains a directory of health organizations and links to hundreds of sites featuring "government and nonprofit health and human services information." Includes news, articles, and a Kids section. Parts of this site available in Spanish. Searchable, and browsable by topic. From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Medline Plus Health Information
http://www.medlineplus.gov/

This directory site is designed to lead the user to resources containing information that will help with researching their health questions. It includes information from MEDLINE, links to self-help groups, the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) drug database, medical dictionaries, directories of doctors and hospitals, access to National Institute of Health consumer-related organizations, clearinghouses, health-related organizations, and a search databases section with dozens of databases on topics such as clinical trials, nutrition, AIDS, cancer, etc. Also available in Spanish

The Merck Manual of Medical Information
http://www.merck.com/

The full-text, searchable consumer edition of the famous Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy ("the textbook of medicine most widely used by health care professionals in the U.S. and worldwide"), written in everyday language for non-health care professionals.

National Institutes of Health: Health Information
http://health.nih.gov/

This site is the primary access point to consumer health information from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Users can choose a specific health topic, browse categories, or search all topics to access information about specific diseases. Links are also provided to databases with information about health hotlines, clinical trials, and related topics.

PUBMED (Medline)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi

The National Library of Medicine's MEDLINE database of more than 11 million references (many with abstracts) to articles published in over 4,000 biomedical journals back to the 1960s. In addition, PubMed Central is a free online archive of journal articles, links to which are included in the PubMed citations.

Toll-Free Numbers from the National Library of Medicine
http://healthhotlines.nlm.nih.gov/

An online database of health-related organizations operating toll-free telephone services. The database also includes information on services and publications available in Spanish.

WebMD Health: Diseases and Conditions
http://my.webmd.com/medical_information/condition_centers/default.htm

Easy to understand information on hundreds of diseases and conditions. Each topic includes description, symptoms, causes, treatment, and related articles

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Medical Tests

Diagnostic Tests
http://www.health.harvard.edu/fhg/diagnostics.shtml

From the online companion to the Harvard Medical School Family Health Guide, this site explains diagnostic medical tests, how to prepare for the tests, what happens when the test is performed, risks of the test, and when the results will be known. Search by category of the test (brain, bones, lungs) or by the name of the test.

Lab Tests Online
http://www.labtestsonline.org/

"This site has been designed as a single resource where people can find up-to-date lab testing information vital to the understanding and management of their health, or the health of someone close to them. Our focus is very specific to clinical lab tests and the topics that relate to them." Information is available by search box and by drop-down menu under the categories of test descriptions, medical conditions/diseases, and screening population group. An educational source for patients containing specific information to interpret and understand a wide range of laboratory tests and test results.

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Mental Health

American Psychiatric Association (APA): Public Information
http://www.psych.org/public_info/

Fact sheets, publications, and information on mental illness. Also features tips for choosing a psychiatrist.

Facts for Families
http://www.aacap.org/page.ww?section=Facts+for+Families&name=Facts+for+Families

This is a collection of over eighty brief fact sheets developed by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry on various issues of childhood and adolescence. Reports are available in English, Spanish, French, German, Icelandic, and Polish.

National Institute of Mental Health
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/

This site contains information for researchers, practitioners, and the general public. Information includes news, events, grants, contracts, committees, research, clinical trials, funding opportunities, and links to other NIMH programs. Searchable. Some information in "For the Public" is available in Spanish. From the National Institutes of Health (NIH)

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Pediatric Health

GeneralPediatrics.com
http://www.generalpediatrics.com/

This site includes links about common health problems for patients and families.

Parents of Preemies: Answers to Commonly Asked Questions
http://www.pediatrics.wisc.edu/patientcare/preemies/

Information about caring for a premature baby. Includes a description of a neonatal intensive care unit, detailed information on common problems and diseases, and a glossary of medications. Describes the preterm infant's physiological and psychological needs, what to do once you get home from the hospital, and potential developmental problems. Includes links to related resources and a bibliography. Available in Spanish. From the University of Wisconsin Medical School, Department of Pediatrics.

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Physicians & Hospitals

American Board of Medical Specialties
http://www.abms.org/

The most important part of this site is "Who's Certified" (registration required) which identifies if a doctor is certified by an approved medical specialty board in the United States. " Includes a list of the boards, with links where available; a Certified Doctor Locator (listing only those doctors who subscribe to the service); and information about the ABMS.

American Hospital Directory
http://www.ahd.com/

"Provides on-line data for over 6,000 hospitals. Free information includes hospital name, address, phone number, and may also have number of beds, type of ownership, Medicare provider identification number, accreditation, medical school affiliation, a list of services provided, utilization statistics, and a link to the hospital's Web page. Searchable by hospital name, city, state, zip code, area code, or combination of these. Additional information is available with paid subscription.

U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals 2007
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/tophosp.htm//

The rankings include the hospitals that earned the highest scores in 17 specialties. Search by medical speciality and narrow by geographic region or find the top hospitals by region or metro area. Over 6000 United States hospitals are evaluated. From US & and World Report.

American Medical Association: Physician Select
http://webapps.ama-assn.org/doctorfinder/home.html

Provides "basic professional information on virtually every licensed physician in the United States and its possessions, including more than 690,000 doctors of medicine (MD) and doctors of osteopathy or osteopathic medicine (DO)." Searchable. From the American Medical Association (AMA).

RI Department of Health License 2000
http://www.healthri.org/hsr/professions/license.php

This Web Site provides public access to all information on all individuals, facilities and other entities licensed or certified by the Department of Health. The database contains over 104,150 active licenses, representing 74 health professions and 470 license types.

RI Docfinder
http://www.docboard.org/ri/df/search.htm

Search this R.I. Department of Health database for information on physicians licensed in the state of Rhode Island. Provides information on medical school, year of graduation, subspecialty and hospital privileges.

WebMD Physician Directory
http://my.webmd.com/pages/dir/toc.asp

The WebMD Physician Directory contains important information about practicing physicians throughout the U.S. You can search for a doctor within five miles of your home or office . . . or you can search for a doctor who accepts your HMO insurance plan or uses the hospital you prefer. You'll even get a map and driving directions to the doctor's office.

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Prescription Drugs

DrugDigest
http://www.drugdigest.org/

Consumer health information about drugs, herbs, and supplements. Features include a page to check for drug interactions, a glossary, a drug comparison page, a treatment options page, and a "Medication Checklist" of "facts you should know about each of your prescriptions." Searchable.

FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research
http://www.fda.gov/cder/

The evaluation of new drugs is the best-known responsibility of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER). The center also promotes the public health by regulating the manufacture, labeling and advertising of drug products. CDER is the largest of FDA's five centers, with a staff of about 1,800. It has responsibility for both prescription and over-the-counter drugs.

MEDLINEplus: Drug Information
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginformation.html

"Information on thousands of prescription and over-the-counter medications is provided through two drug resources -- MedMaster, a product of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), and the USP DI Advice for the Patient, a product of the United States Pharmacopeia (USP)." Browse by generic or brand name of the drug from an alphabetical index. The results include warnings and side effects of the drug.

PDR Health: Drug Information
http://www.pdrhealth.com/drug_info/index.html

Drug Information "is written in lay terms and is based on the FDA-approved drug information found in the PDR." Clinical Trials "provides information services featuring listings of drugs in clinical research, clinical trials, clinical trial results, FDA approvals and more."

RxList
http://www.rxlist.com/

Searchable by drug name, keyword, and imprint code (great for identifying pills). Gives the brand, generic, and category for more than 4,500 drugs in English and more than 3,000 in Spanish. Also has most common indications and side effects. The site also contains Taber's Medical Encyclopedia, with more than 53,000 definitions as well as information on some major Western herbs, Chinese herbal remedies, and homeopathics.

SafeMedication.com
http://www.safemedication.com/

"Pharmacists helping people make the best use of medicines." "Medications and You" covers alternative medicines; antibiotics; medication safety, use, and trends; treatment tips; and vaccines. "How to Administer" explains the best ways to use drops, ointments, inhalers, and suppositories. Type a drug name in the search box and find out how a medicine should be used, special precautions, side effects, and other information. From the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP).

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Senior Health

Aging – U.S. Department of Health
http://www.hhs.gov/aging/index.html#caregivers

Find resources for caregivers, information on aging, diseases and conditions, hospitals and nursing homes, safety and wellness and more.

Health for Seniors
http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Seniors/Health.shtml

Official information and services for seniors from the Federal Government.

Medline Plus Health Information

http://www.medlineplus.gov/

This directory site is designed to lead the user to resources containing information that will help with researching their health questions.

Merck Manual of Geriatrics
http://www.merck.com/mkgr/mmg/home.jsp

Online edition of print book of same title, providing "information of clinical relevance on geriatric care." Searchable, and browsable by index.

MyBiopsy.org
http://www.cap.org/apps/docs/hints/myBiopsy/index2.html

Site developed by the College of American Pathologists includes easy-to-understand information about 20 common cancers, treatment options, definitions of medical terms and more.

National Institutes of Health Senior Health Page
http://nihseniorhealth.gov/

This website has senior-friendly health and wellness information in an easy-to-read format.

Senior Health
http://nihseniorhealth.gov/

This site makes aging-related health information easily accessible for family members and friends seeking reliable, easy to understand online health information

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