Health-Related Web Sites for Resource Centers

There is no shortage of health-related sites on the World Wide Web. That's why many patient education managers are creating lists of sites for patient resource centers. Site lists help patients locate the material they need quicker.

Be sure to put a disclaimer on the list advises Ellen Sitton, MSN, OCN, advance practice nurse in ambulatory care at USC/Kenneth Norris Jr. Cancer Hospital in Los Angeles. The disclaimer she wrote reads: "These sites are for educational purposes only and do not represent advice or endorsement by the council or the institution. The information provided should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or a disease, and it is not a substitute for professional medical care. Inclusion in this guide in no way implies endorsement for any organization or linked material or service."

Also, it's a good idea to check sites on your list frequently, says Sitton. The Internet changes frequently, and sites come and go, she explains.

· Disease Specific Sites

- Alzheimer's Disease Page

URL: http://www.biostat. wustl.edu/alzheimer

Sponsored by Washington University in St. Louis, the site includes an archive section with advice, information, and references about Alzheimer's disease and related disorders from thousands of caregivers, clinicians, and researchers.

- American Heart Association

URL: http://www.amhrt.org

Includes an interactive risk assessment for heart attack, a heart and stroke reference guide, and information on family health.

- American Cancer Society

URL: http://www.cancer.org/

Information on programs, events, publications, news, and cancer is available on the site.

- American Diabetes Association

URL: http://www.diabetes.org

Information on a new program that targets African Americans. Also, diabetes information, research updates, legislation information, and Internet resources.

- Blood and Marrow Transplant Newsletter

URL: http://www.bmtnews.org/

This not-for-profit organization provides publications and support services to bone marrow, peripheral blood stem cell, and cord blood transplant patients and survivors. Materials are written in lay language and are reviewed for accuracy by a team of medical experts.

- Cancer News on the Net

URL: http://www.cancernews.com/

The purpose of this site is to post the latest information on cancer diagnosis and treatment.

- Diabetics-On-line Resources

URL: http://www.cruzio.com/ ~mendosa/faq.htm

A Web site designed to help people with type 1 and 2 diabetes manage their disease. The site includes many links to resources with red hypertext linking to the most relevant sites.

- Leukemia Society of America

URL: http://www.leukemia.org/

The site has information on leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease, and myeloma. Sections include information on educational materials and publications, research, and local chapters. There are links to related resources.

· General Health Sites

- Achoo: Internet Health Care Directory

URL: http://www.achoo.com/

Directory of human health and disease, organizations and sources, headline news, and a medical bookstore.

- American Academy of Family Physicians

URL: http://www.aafp.org/

This Web site has a public section and a member section. The public section, which covers 60 topics, includes health notes and family medicine on-line with information for patients .

- HealthWeb

URL: http://healthweb.org/

This site provides links to specific, evaluated information resources on the World Wide Web selected by librarians and information professionals at academic medical centers in the Midwest. Emphasizes quality information aimed at assisting health care professionals and consumers in meeting their health information needs.

- Wellness Web

URL: http://www.wellweb.com

Sections include conventional medicine, alternative/complementary medicine, nutrition, and fitness. Information is aimed at creating better health consumers. For example, on the nutrition site, there is an evaluation of the popular zone diet.

· Medication Sites

- Drug InfoNet

URL: http://www.druginfonet.com/

Information and links to areas on the Web concerning health care and pharmaceutical-related topics. Purpose is to improve education of consumers and health care professionals.

- PharmWeb

URL: http://www.pharmweb.net/

A site for patients and health professionals specializing in pharmaceutical and health related information. Site includes chat room, discussion forums, drug list serves, publications, and drug information.

· Pain-related Sites

- Partners against Pain

URL: http://www.partnersagainstpain.com/

Created by Purdue, a pharmaceutical company, this site is for medical professionals and non-professionals. The site has pain control guides, current information on pain, books, and lists of support groups.

- Worldwide Congress on Pain

URL: http://www.pain.com/

Categories include "ask the pain doctor," forums and chat rooms, consumer information, and pain resources.

· Pediatric Sites

- American Academy of Pediatrics

URL:http://www.aap.org/

Site has information on the latest pediatric research, a list of publications and services, professional education, and consumer information.

- Baby online

URL:http://www.babyonline.com/

A comprehensive information service for parents and childcare professionals. It addresses pregnancy, parenting, and prenatal/postnatal baby issues. There is a question-and-answer section, parenting chat forum, and archive of articles.

- The Informed Parent

URL: http://www.informedparent.com/

This is an on-line journal with access to articles from past issues and a question and answer section.

(Editor's note: The sites listed are not endorsed by American Health Consultants. Please review each site according to the evaluation criteria of your health care facility before including it on a list for your resource center. In response to reader requests, Patient Education Management will periodically print lists of health-related Web sites in future issues. If you have a favorite site, e-mail the URL: [email protected].)