Consumer Health

Focuses on the quality of care. Includes tips for staying healthy, treatment comparisons, and guides for choosing care providers and care plans, getting quality care, and dealing with specific diseases and conditions.

The CDC tracks health measures and recommends actions at the national level in the U.S. It prioritizes health promotion strategies and methods for preventing diseases and conditions.

Includes guide about individual diseases and conditions, tips for healthy living, and guidance on evaluating hospitals and insurance plans. Represents complementary and alternative medicine as well as conventional western medicine. Sign up for alerts on topics of interest to you.

Find information for the whole family. Look up symptoms, learn about conditions and diseases, find everyday health tips, search for information for specific groups of people, learn about over-the-counter medicines, and more. Provided by the American Academy of Family Physicians. Includes a version in Spanish/español.

Consumer updates, articles about drug and food safety, videos and other multimedia, tips for buying medicines, and topics for specific groups of people. Includes some information in Spanish/español.

“Health Canada is the Federal department responsible for helping Canadians maintain and improve their health, while respecting individual choices and circumstances” (About Health Canada page). Includes information about specific products, about environmental health, about workplace health, and about nutrition. Click on the “Healthy Living” tab for healthy living information or click on the"First Nations & Inuit Health" tab to find information for specific groups of people. Also available in French/français.

This is a government-sponsored Internet resource which offers links to publications, clearinghouses, databases, websites, and support and self-help groups, as well as the government agencies and not-for-profit organizations that produce reliable information for the public.

Evidence-based patient health information, organized by topic/interactive body map. Produced by Germany’s Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG).

Find information for parents, children, teens, and educators. Find information about children’s development, nutrition, childhood illnesses, first aid, the parts of the body, being safe, feelings, sexual health, drugs and alcohol, and much more. The kids section includes videos and quizzes. All material is reviewed by pediatricians and other medical experts and approved material is periodically re-checked for currency. Part of the Nemours Foundation’s Center for Children’s Health Media. Some parts available in Spanish / español.

Comprehensive information about resources in Massachusetts. Includes information about finding health care, obtaining insurance, living healthily, and much more. Has sections for specific types of people as well. Includes a translation service for information in many languages.

Click on the “For Patients and Families” tab for finding information about specific conditions, for help finding clinical trials at this hospital or its partner hospitals, for finding support groups, and for programs about quitting smoking.

Find information about specific diseases and conditions, look up your symptoms, learn about medications or medical procedures, and find tips for healthy living.

Information on medications, vitamins and supplements. Pill identifier, Find a Pharmacy and drug interaction checker tools available.

From the CAPHIS, the Consumer and Health Information Section of the Medical Library Association.

Seeks fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the applications of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce the burdens of illness and disability. Read about healthy living, clinical trials, and research on many medical topics on this comprehensive website. The website includes information about funding opportunities and training for researchers. The NIH is a large organization with many smaller parts. Link out to each of these institutes' pages for more focused information.

One of the most popular medical websites that provides access to a wide variety of health information including information on drugs, vitamins, and supplements. Pill identifier, interaction checker and find a pharmacy tools available.

Comprehensive site focusing on women’s health issues, including specific health topics, additional publications, and health programs. Site also available in Spanish/en Español. Managed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Disciplines: Clinical Medicine, Consumer Health, Veterinary Medicine
Contents: Freely available versions of trusted medical titles.

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• The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy (Merck Manual: Professional Version)
• The Merck Manual Medical Myths Podcasts
• The Merck Veterinary Manual
• The Merck Manual Home Health Handbook (Merck Manual for the Consumer)