Medical Web Sites

Go to these Websites if you need medical information

(As listed in The Boston Globe, "A Web of Information Untangled"
Judy Forman's column on Health Sense, November 28, 2005, page C1.)

GOVERNMENT

• www.nih.gov

•     She says this is the best; my wife (an Immunnology Ph.D.)agrees.  Get the basics quickly.  (NIH = National Institutes of Health)

• www.clinicaltrials.gov

•     Find Clinical Trials

• www.medlineplus.gov

•     General Research from NIH and National Library of Medicine

• www.healthfinder.gov

•     From HHS  (Department of Health and Human Services)

• www.cancer.gov

•     From National Cancer Institute

• www.ahrq.gov

•     From Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (part of HHS) -- not very "user-friendly, but has excellent reviews of research on selected topics" (according to Judy Forman).

• www.pubmed.gov

•     From National Library of Medicine -- get medical journal abstracts online (free) and maybe text (cost).  My wife reads this regularly.

CONSUMER REPORTS

• www.consumerreportsmedicalguide.org

•     from your friends at Consumer Reports

• www.healthratings.org

•     also from Consumer Reports -- lists top 20 health sites

• www.crbestbuydrugs.org

•     also from CR -- compares cost/effectiveness of common drugs

WEB HEALTH SITE RATING AGENCIES

• www.healthonnet.org

• www.urac.org

•     Both accredit health websites

COMMERCIAL

• www.webmd.com

•     The famous on-line medical website

TEACHING HOSPITALS

• www.mayoclinic.com

•     From the Mayo Clinic

• www.hms.harvard.edu

•     Harvard Medical School -- choose "consumer information" then "intelihealth".  The site is owned by Aetna (an insurance company).  HMS reviews it editorially.  Has "ask the expert" feature that answers some e-mailed questions.

DRUG WEBSITES

• www.PDRHealth.com

•     From Physicians' Desk Reference -- what many doctors use

• www.safemedication.com

•     From American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.