Use the Net to streamline medical research.Do you remember what it was like to do medical research five years ago, before widespread use of the Internet? You probably had to go to the local medical-school library and wade through stacks of journals, or use an archaic Medline Unix terminal, or hire an expert-physician to do it--all of which cost you time and money. The Internet has completely changed the way I investigate medical issues. Now, more than ever, I can research a medical topic on the Net early in a case without having to hire an expert-physician for my initial case evaluation. The following online resources provide current and reliable information (most of these Web sites are free and available to everyone): * www.hon.ch--the definitive voice on Web site ethics ethics, in philosophy, the study and evaluation of human conduct in the light of moral principles. Moral principles may be viewed either as the standard of conduct that individuals have constructed for themselves or as the body of obligations and duties that a for health-related topics. The people at the Health on the Net Foundation Health On the Net Foundation (HON) is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1995 and based in Switzerland. The stated mission of the foundation is to help both laypersons and medical practitioners find useful and reliable medical and health information online. have investigated and put their seal of approval on sites that comply with their requirements. * www.healthfinder.gov--a guide to reliable consumer health information developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Noun 1. Department of Health and Human Services - the United States federal department that administers all federal programs dealing with health and welfare; created in 1979 Health and Human Services, HHS . The site is organized by disease topic. * www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus--the National Library of Medicine's online information portal. * www.americanheart.org--American Heart Association-sponsored site devoted to cardiovascular health and disease information. * www.niddk.nih.gov--National Institutes of Health site with information on diabetes and digestive Ulcers (Digestive) Definition In general, an ulcer is any eroded area of skin or a mucous membrane, marked by tissue disintegration. In common usage, however, ulcer usually is used to refer to disorders in the upper digestive tract. and kidney diseases Kidney Disease Definition Kidney disease is a general term for any damage that reduces the functioning of the kidney. Kidney disease is also called renal disease. . * www.medicare.gov--Medicare information from the U.S. government. * www.intelihealth.com--Two of this online health information company's major sources are Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is one of the graduate schools of Harvard University. It is a prestigious American medical school located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. and University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine is one of the professional schools of the University of Pennsylvania. It is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is considered one of the leading dental schools in the US and is highly regarded throughout the world. . (Some components of this site are fee-based.) * www.adam.com--Atlanta-based A.D.A.M., Inc. features an online health information library including thousands of medical illustrations. (This site is fee-based.) Using these online resources to evaluate potential cases early has made my practice more efficient and less expensive. Ian R. Alexander Chicago, Illinois |
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