Resources within the Medical and Healthcare Community

Resources within the Medical and Healthcare Community
photo by: Leonid Mamchenkov
By Lisa Küpper, Director of Publications
National Dissemination Center for Children With Disabilities

Looking for Info on Health Conditions

The doctor says it's... but what is....?

Need more information? There are lots of medical sites out there that explain conditions in terms you don't need to be a doctor to understand. Here are a few.

  • To find a spectrum of health-related resources---try this government offering.
    www.healthfinder.gov/
    Healthfinder connects you with a range of health-related resources. The same service is available in Spanish, at: www.healthfinder.gov/espanol/
  • Medline connects you quickly to over 650 topics on conditions, diseases and wellness.
    http://medlineplus.gov
    This site is a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine and offers everything from an online medical encyclopedia to interactive tutorials for patients. Find the same in Spanish, at: http://medlineplus.gov/spanish
  • More information about health topics of all kinds.
    www.familydoctor.org
    The American Academy of Family Physicians provides this site of "health information for the whole family." Among the databases you'll find are: Search by Symptom, Find a Doctor, Dictionary of Common Medical Terms, Body Mass Index Calculator, and Drug Information Database (both prescription and over-the-counter). For Spanish, go to: www.familydoctor.org/spanish.xml
  • Combined health information database (CHID).
    http://chid.nih.gov/
    CHID is a bibliographic database produced by health-related agencies of the Federal Government. This database provides titles, abstracts, and availability information for health information and health education resources. At the moment, CHID covers the following 12 topics: AIDS, STD, and TB education; Alzheimer's; arthritis and musculoskeletal and skin diseases; complementary and alternative medicine; deafness and communication disorders; diabetes; digestive diseases; kidney and urologic diseases; maternal and child health; medical genetics and rare disorders; oral health; weight control.
  • A real info jackpot, courtesy of the government.
    www.health.gov/NHIC/
    The Federal Government operates many health clearinghouses and information centers that focus on specific topics. Their services include distributing publications, providing referrals, and answering inquiries. Many offer Web sites or toll-free numbers and can connect you with the more than 1,800 organizations and government offices that provide health information upon request. You can either search by keyword or topic, at the link above, or scroll through a list of the federal health info centers to see what's out there, at:
    www.health.gov/nhic/Pubs/clearinghouses.htm
  • Alternative medicine?
    http://nccam.nih.gov/
    Visit the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) Information Clearinghouse, at the link above.
  • Interested in newly published health and medical information related to your child's disability or medical condition?
    www.caringparents.org
    CaringParents.org is for all parents who wish to keep on top of the large amount of newly published health and medical information regarding specific medical conditions or general health concerns. Use their comprehensive research service for locating articles critical to your child's health.
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