Consumer Health: Finding Health Information Resources

This Medical Library Association (MLA) guide provides advice on how to get started searching for quality health-related websites and how to evaluate the content of the websites.

MedlinePlus is a consumer health service provided by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Find links to web resources from authoritative organizations that also offer tips on evaluating medical information on the web.

The National Cancer Institute answers twelve questions to help in deciding whether the health information found on the Internet is likely to be reliable.

MedlinePlus is a consumer health service of the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health. Providing patients with authoritative and up to date information to help answer health questions, MedlinePlus includes links to hundreds of topics on medical conditions, diseases, wellness, drugs, herbs, and supplements. In addition to a medical encyclopedia and dictionary, current health news, and extensive directories to find healthcare practitioners and hospitals, MedlinePlus provides a collection of interactive healthcare related tutorials. Much of the information in MedlinePlus is also available in Spanish.

The CDC is a federal agency in the Department of Health and Human Services. Their website provides individuals with authoritative information on diseases and conditions, environmental and workplace health, emergency preparedness and response, and healthy living. The CDC also provides access to extensive health-related statistics.

Operated by the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), information on this website is written and reviewed by physicians and patient education professionals at the AAFP. Health information for men, women, seniors, teens, and children is available in English and Spanish. Find information on drugs, including over-the-counter drugs, and chose from a collection of videos on various health topics.

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, this website offers an encyclopedia of over 1600 health topics from reliable resources, numerous personal health tools such as health quizzes to assess disease risk, links to health services and organizations, as well as current health news headlines. This nicely organized website is available in English and Spanish.

With content available in English and Spanish, this U.S. government website has information for consumers and health professionals. Covering various cancer topics, content includes an A-Z list of cancers, clinical trial information, cancer statistics, recent news releases, a dictionary of cancer terms, and a cancer drug dictionary.

Find a Philadelphia Health Care Center where all Philadelphia residents can access medical and dental care. This website also describes a wide variety of other health-related resources and information for Philadelphia residents.

The AIDS Library offers comprehensive HIV/AIDS information through a variety of media including books, journals, videos, and the Internet. Professional librarians are available in the library to help patrons search for information about HIV in a comfortable and private setting. Free Internet access and computer instruction is available.

The PHLP provides free legal services, information, and advocacy to Pennsylvania residents having trouble accessing publicly funded health care coverage or services.

Find extensive health related statistics for Pennsylvania and see how Pennsylvania compares to the rest of the country.