Research your Way to Good Health

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Research your Way to Good Health

• Cara Helfner, MSLIS
• Program Manager
• The Michele and Howard Kessler
• Health Education Library
• Brigham and Womens Hospital
• 75 Francis Street, Boston, MA 02115
• [phone] chelfner_at_partners.org
• www.brighamandwomens.org/healtheducation

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So many sources . . .

• Books
• Journals, magazines and newsletters
• Pamphlets and fact sheets
• Audiotapes and Videotapes
• Online and CD-ROM
• Television and radio

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Where do I find health information?

• Care providers
• Hospital and other libraries
• Stores and catalogs
• Friends and loved ones
• Within other sources

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How do medical librarians choose their resources?

• Standards and Guidelines - JCAHO, MLA, Library
  Oversight Committees, Organizational Health
  Education Programs
• Library Collection Development Policies
• Lists - Brandon-Hill (MLA), CAPHIS
• Book Reviews and Recommendations

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How do I know its good information?
The information should be

• Accurate
• Reliable
• Clear
• Comprehensive

• Current
• Readable
• Educational
• Show Diversity

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How do I know its good information?

• The information should be accurate
• Truthful and honest
• Complete
• Factually accurate
• Grammatically correct and free from
  typographical errors
• Data and statistics need to be substantiated

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How do I know its good information?

• The information should be reliable
• from reliable, believable, trustworthy,
  authoritative sources.
• Examples
• Brigham and Womens Hospital, Faulkner Hospital
• American Cancer Society, American Heart
  Association
• Be wary of materials published by companies
  primarily involved in product sales!

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How do I know its good information?

• The information should be clear
• Text should be legible and consistent
• Short, simple paragraphs
• Concise section headings
• Illustrations should be easy to understand
• Illustrations relate to the text

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How do I know its good information?

• The information should be comprehensive
• Topic area needs to be clearly identified
• Books should provide an in-depth picture of
  topic
• Books cover definitions, causes, symptoms and
  treatments.
• Main points of work should be stressed and
  easily apparent

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How do I know its good information?

• The information should be current
• Books published or updated within the last five
  years
• Reviewed by subject experts for currency
• Bibliographies and references current

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How do I know its good information?

• The information should be readable
• Books should be easy to read
• Medical and technical terms should be
  well-defined
• Material should be well-organized
• Layout and design should be appealing

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How do I know its good information?

• The information should be educational
• Recommendations from clinical and nursing
  leaders
• Learning objectives are identified
• Books should help individuals understand
  specific illnesses

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How do I know its good information?

• The information should address diversity
• Books are available in various languages and
  formats
• Other cultures are presented in positive ways
• Content should be free of stereotypes and
  cultural biases

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An example of a goodbook

• Numb Toes and Aching Soles
• by John A. Senneff
• Written by a patient/researcher and recommended
  by the Mayo Clinic and Mt. Sinai Medical Center,
  the book lists contributors from neurology
  departments at a dozen major hospitals
• Unfamiliar terms, such as receptors are in
  boldface and clearly defined
• Scope of book covers types, symptoms, causes,
  testing, pain, medication, medical therapies,
  alternative treatments, nutrients, experimental
  drugs, special considerations and coping

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Further Reading
Choosing Health Books as a Consumer http//caphis.
mlanet.org/resources/bookselect.html By Lea K.
Starr, B.Sc., M.L.S., Manager, Western Regional
Operating Partner, Canadian Health
Network Includes reputable publishers, features
to look for in book selection, good sites with
book listings, books to avoid and classic
titles. Consumer Health Information Source
Book Edited by Alan M. Rees, Oryx Press, 2000,
ISBN 1-57356-123-1 64.95
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Look it up! http//magic.mgh.harvard.edu