Health Online at Medline Plus

1. Health Online at Medline Plus A SeniorNet Workshop SeniorNet is a service program of the Lutheran Service Society of Western Pennsylvania

2. What are the top 5 uses of the Internet by seniors?* • Send & receive e-mail (93%) • Research hobbies (58%) • Get the news (55%) • Seek specific info on health & wellness (53%) • Check the weather 50% *Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project

3. What benefit does health education have for seniors? • “Health education is one of the factors that have decreased the number of senior citizens who are chronically disabled and require nursing-home care.” • Proceeding fo the National Academy of Science, 2003

4. Where can I go online for health education and information? • There are many sites • Check file extensions to understand who is sponsoring the site • One of the best is Medline Plus

5. What is Medline Plus? • Medline Plus is the official website of the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health. • Medline Plus consistently provides reliable and objective information about health care.

6. How do other websites qualify as links to Medline Plus? • Medline Plus contains numerous links to other websites providing health and medical information. • Medline Plus uses a strict set of criteria to determine is a website should be linked. • The criteria are found under Selection Guidelines on the homepage.

7. Where is Medline Plus located? • Medline Plus is located at: www.medlineplus.gov or www.medlineplus.org

8. What will I find at Medline Plus? • Information • Instructions • Help and Advice • News • Links to other health-related sites

9. How should I use the information I find at Medline Plus? • The information you find on Medline Plus is intended for educational use only and is not intended to replace advice of a health care professional. • Please consult your physician before you make any changes to your health care plan.

10. How is Medline Plus Organized? The Medline Plus homepage is organized into three major sections.

11. How is Medline Plus Organized? • Section #1 (homepage left) • Health Topics • Drug Information • Medical Encyclopedia • Dictionary • News • Directories • Other Resources

12. How is Medline Plus organized? • Section #2 (homepage center) • Current Health News • Featured site • In the Spotlight

13. How is Medline Plus organized? • Section #3 (homepage right) • Interactive tutorials • ClinicalTrials.gov • NIH SeniorHealth • E-mail subscription service • Tour the site link

14. How do I search for health information on Medline Plus? • By linking to various sections then searching by alpha order, topic or subject and/or key word • Note: once you link off the homepage, all major sections are displayed as tabs at the top of each page • By using the website’s search engine

15. Can you give me an example? • YES! Let’s look for information on health care issues of interest by linking to Section #1. • Health topics (search by alpha or topic) • Drug Information (search by alpha) • Medical Encyclopedia (search by alpha) • Dictionary (by key word) • News (search by topic or subject) • Directories (search by provider type) • Other resources (search by topic)

16. How do I use the website’s search engine? • On the homepage, type in the key words for your search subject into the Search MedlinePlus text box. • Select Search Medline Plus button to the right of the text box or select the Enter key • Search results will be displayed

17. What will I find in Section #2? • Current news • Featured site • In the spotlight

18. What will I find in Current News? • Links to current health-related news stories • Stories change often • Stories come from various sources • Note “Printer friendly” & “E-mail to a friend” options • Note links to other related stories & Medline Plus pages

19. What will I find at Featured Site? • Information on a special topic. • Changes periodically. • May be related to a current health issue or a seasonal concern. • Allergies in spring • Sun-burns in August • Frost-bite during February, etc.

20. What’s “In the Spotlight?” • Similar to the featured site. • Provides focused information about one current health issue or concern. • Changes frequently

21. What will I find in Section #3? • Interactive tutorials • ClinicalTrials.gov • NIH SeniorHealth • E-mail subscription service • Site tour

22. What’s an Interactive Tutorial? • Movie-like presentation of a health topic with animated graphics & audio. • Choose from 165 topics. • Interactive tutorials require special software (Flash plug-in, version 6.0 or higher). • You will be prompted to download if needed.

23. Can you run an example of an interactive tutorial? • Click on Interactive tutorial • Select Lyme Disease. • To begin, click on Go to Module and Start Module. • Use the green arrows to advance forward and backward. • Click on Mute Sound to eliminate the sound – this will speed-up the presentation. • Use the blue links on the left to skip to a different section.

24. What is Clinical Trials.gov? • The section of Medline Plus called ClinicalTrials.gov provides information about federally and privately supported clinical research using human volunteers. • ClinicalTrials.gov gives you information about a trial's purpose, who may participate, locations, and phone numbers for more details.

25. Why would I want to participate in a clinical trial? • Altruistic - to advance our knowledge and understanding of wellness & disease. • Personal - to get access to treatments and procedures that are not currently approved for use in the general population.

26. What will I find at NIH SeniorHealth? • This link takes you directly to a website developed exclusively for older adults by the National Institute on Aging, the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health. • Select Click to Begin to access the site. • Accessibility features including enlarged text, high contrast and audio are available.

27. What is the e-mail service offered by Medline Plus? • Medline Plus offers a subscriber e-mail service on the link Sign-up now! • Subscribers receive e-mail information from Medline Plus tailored to meet their personal needs and interests.

28. What is the site tour? • An animated tour of the site • Lasts about 8 minutes • Requires Flash plug-in Version 6.0 or higher • You will be prompted to download Flash plug-in if necessary

29. How can I get more information about Medline Plus website? • Try the FAQs link at the top right of the Medlineplus homepage. • This is a list of the most frequently asked questions about this site. • Questions are listed by topic. • Technical questions • Using Medline Plus • General Questions, etc.