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Public Health: Consumer Health
Health literacy and assessment tools
- Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT).Resource from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to help professionals choose more understandable and actionable materials – the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT).
- CDC Health Literacy siteDedicated to providing information and tools for improving health literacy and public health.
- Roundtable on Health LiteracyFrom the Health and Medicine Division (HMD), a division of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (the National Academies).
- CDC Health Literacy for Public HealthSelf-paced course designed for public health professionals.
Health Care Legal Resources
- Health Care Decision MakingThe American Bar Association's Commission on Law and Aging website has a number of resources relevant to health care practitioners and consumers.
- Michigan Laws Related to Right of a Minor to Obtain Health Care without Consent or Knowledge of ParentsSummarizes the rights of minors to consent to various types of health care without the consent or knowledge of their parents.
- Planning for Your Peace of Mind: A Guide to Medical and Legal DecisionsPrepared by the Michigan Legislature, this "fill in the blanks" document provides answers to frequently asked questions, general information and forms on Michigan's Statutory Will, Patient Advocate law and organ donation.
Pet health resources
- MedlinePlus Pet HealthLinks to various topics and videos.
- MSU Libraries Veterinary Medicine Linkshttp://gvsu.edu/s/XW
Excellent resource with links to Medline Plus Pet Health, Veterinary Information Network Veterinary Partner (searchable database). - Food and Drug Administration Veterinary ResourcesIncludes a link to resources for pet owners plus info on drugs, recalls, and reporting a pet food complaint.
Recommended consumer health sites
Many of the sites listed below are from the Medical Library Association's recommendations for the best consumer health sites. These are listed in alphabetical order.
- Cancer.govA well-organized site containing information for both consumers and health care providers, including links to specific kinds of cancer and clinical trials.
- Centers for Disease Control and PreventionResources about diseases, conditions, and other special topics arranged under "Health Topics A-Z," and "Travelers' Health," with health recommendations for travelers worldwide. There are also sections on health topics in the news and health hoaxes. Information is also available in Spanish.
- Clinicaltrials.govClinicalTrials.gov is a registry and results database of publicly and privately supported clinical studies of human participants conducted around the world.
- Familydoctor.orgProduced by the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). All of the information on this site has been written and reviewed by physicians and patient education professionals at the AAFP.
- HealthfinderGateway consumer health information website whose goal is "to improve consumer access to selected health information from government agencies, their many partner organizations, and other reliable sources that serve the public interest." Access to resources on the site is also available in Spanish.
- KidsHealth®Created by The Nemours Foundation's Center for Children's Health Media, KidsHealth provides families with accurate, up-to-date, and jargon-free health information they can use. Resources specific to parents, kids, teens, and educators are available in English and Spanish.
- Mayo ClinicEditors of this site include more than 2,000 physicians, scientists, writers, and educators at the Mayo Clinic. Also has interactive tools to assist consumers in managing their health.
- MedlinePlusThe National Library of Medicine's website for consumer health information. The site offers authoritative, up-to-date health information, without advertisements.
- MedlinePlus en EspañolSpanish-language version of MedlinePlus. A site for cell phones and other mobile devices is at http://m.medlineplus.gov.
- Medscape from WebMDOffers consumers and health care professionals integrated medical information and educational tools. Requires registration (free).
- Medscape from WebMDOffers consumers and health care professionals integrated medical information and educational tools. Requires registration (free).
- NIH National Institute on AgingNIH National Institute on Aging makes aging-related health information easily accessible for family members and friends seeking reliable, easy to understand online health information. This site was developed by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the National Library of Medicine (NLM) both part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Other resources (in alphabetical order)
- Certification MattersFind out what certification a physician holds. This searchable database produced by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS).
- Food and Drug AdministrationIncludes info on recalls, new approvals.
- Food and Nutrition Information CenterNutrition, food safety, food labeling.
- Genetics Home ReferenceConsumer-friendly information about the effects of genetic variation on human health.
- Healthcare BluebookPricing info for procedures, tests, and services (including dental).
- MedicareFind and compare ratings for doctors, nursing homes, home health services.
- National Institutes of HealthSearch; also links to Healthfinder, Medline Plus, and toll-free numbers.
- Priority HealthLogin and use cost estimator to see what you’ll pay out of pocket. Also includes link to Healthcare Bluebook.
- University of Michigan Patient Care GuidesIncludes materials that have been created by U-M Health System experts on many difficult-to-find topics, rare conditions and state-of-the-art therapies.
- WebMDDrug interaction checker, meds schedule, pill ID, search by symptom (requires a little personal info), annoying ads but articles include reviewed by and date.
Mobile health apps
Health and wellness apps (also called mHealth) for mobile devices such as smartphones and tables include those that support diet and exercise programs, pregnancy trackers, behavioral and mental health coaches, symptom checkers, sleep and relaxation aids, and personal disease or chronic condition managers.
The FDA (Federal Drug Administration) regulates apps that qualify as medical devices -- anything used to diagnose, treat or prevent a medical condition such as glucose monitoring devices. At present there is no oversight on other kinds of health and wellness apps.
Consult the following resources for app reviews and recommendations.
- Health Sciences Mobile devices resources for patientsCompiled by the Taubman Medical Library at University of Michigan.
- iMedicalAppsAn interprofessional team of physicians, allied health professionals, medical trainees, and mHealth analysts reviews, researches, and provides commentary on mobile medical technology.
Plain Language Medical Dictionary
The Plain Language Medical Dictionary widget is a project of the University of Michigan Taubman Health Sciences Library as part of the Michigan Health Literacy Awareness project.
Subjects: Public Health
- Last Updated: Dec 18, 2024 11:27 AM
- URL: https://libguides.gvsu.edu/PH
