Clearinghouse of Professional Information

Health and Medicine Resources

This section includes links to support our EXCEL courses, especially the collection development course and the on-line  "Electronic Sources of Information". Students can use this selection of links to complete their assignments. See also Health Resources On-line especially selected for youth.

The purpose of this section  is to provide access to a wide range of health and medical information, not to give medical advice or interpretation. Links to information provided on this page does not imply recommendation or endorsement. It is not a substitute for consultation with a health professional.

Topics include

General Resources | Search Engines and Directories | Top Ten Canadian Consumer Health Websites

	indicates an item written by SOLS staff		indicates an item written by OLS-North staff
Clicking on certain topics will open a new window, if the link is to a topic included in an other Clearinghouse page

General Resources

• Deciphering Medspeak: For Health Consumers: "Top Ten" Most Useful Websites (The Medical Library Association) The Consumer and Patient Health Information Section (CAPHIS) of MLA evaluates web sites based on the following criteria: credibility, sponsorship/authorship, content, audience, currency, disclosure, purpose, links, design, interactivity, and disclaimers.

• Evaluating Health Information (MedLinePlus)

• Evaluating Health Internet Resources: a Tutorial (National Library of Medicine) This is a good took you may want to use as you select your web resources on health

• A User's Guide to Finding and Evaluating Health Information on the Web (The Medical Library Association) This guide outlines the collective wisdom of medical librarians who surf the web every day to discover quality information in support of clinical and scientific decision making by doctors, scientists, and other health practitioners responsible for the nation's health.
  

Search Engines and Directories

• Canadian Nursing Index  Comprehensive guide to Canadian nursing resources on the Internet. I.E. Canadian hospitals organised by province, nursing humour, links to health resources, nursing news, and journals.

• Fitness Jumpsite: annotated, categorized and searchable directory of hundreds of fitness and health-related Web pages and resources, plus library of full-text articles on all the topics. Includes sports, nutrition, kid fitness, adventure, martial arts, equipment, resorts, etc.

• Medical Matrix: searchable, annotated, rated directory of Internet clinical medicine resources. Fill out free registration form

• Medical World Search a subscription-based web site providing searching in full text of nearly 100,000 Web pages from thousands of SELECTED medical sites

• MedlinePlus Health information from the National Library of Medicine

• Proteus Health Search +: search health/medical services and directories as PubMed, Healthfinder.gov, HealthWeb, NOAH and access a select number of relevant sites.

Specialized websites

• Addictions: Web of Addictions. Fact sheets, links, notice of meetings, some in-depth coverage of specific topics 

• Alternative Medicine: for consumers, professionals, and students who would like to learn more about various forms of Alternative Health Care. It links to sources of information on unconventional, unorthodox, unproven, or alternative, complementary, innovative, integrative therapies.

• Caregiver.com The site for caregivers and seniors. Good "Be Informed" section.  

• Consumer Health Information Service (Metropolitan Toronto Reference Library)

• On-line Medical Dictionary: + 15,000 terms from medicine and science

• Health Canada Online /Santé Canada en direct   (Health Canada / Santé Canada)

• Center for Disease Control and Prevention

• Drug Information (Drugwatch.com) Features up to date information on the drug side effects of prescription and over-the-counter medications. Check this site often for the most recent drug alerts.

• Drugs - RX List Searchable by brand, generic name.

• Health Canada on H1N1

• KidsHealth

• PDRhealth Drug Information The drug information on PDRhealth is written in lay terms and is based on the FDA-approved drug information found in the PDR. It gives consumers plain-English explanations for the safe and effective use of prescription and nonprescription drugs—explanations that are consistent with the information professionals are referencing in the PDR. Use this section to read about a drug your doctor may have prescribed to check for side effects, drug interactions, and other important information.

• Public Health Agency of Canada Timely, trusted and credible public health information through a single source.

• WebMD

• Women's Health Matters Network. Resources (Sunnybrook and Womens' College Health Sciences Centre)  

Top Ten Canadian Consumer Health Websites

As selected by the Consumer Health Information Providers Interest Group (CHIPIG), in June 2010.

• AboutKidsHealth  (The Hospital for Sick Children)                               

• Canadian Cancer Society                                

• Canada Safety Council                                   

• Caring for Kids  (Canadian Paediatric Society)                                                  

• Dietitians of Canada                                         

• Heart and Stroke Foundation                       

• Here to help   (BC Partners for Mental Health and Addictions Information)                                                      

• PasseportSanté   (Fondation Lucie et André Chagnon)                                                

• Sexualityandu.ca  (Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC))                                           

   (as of July, 2010)