Newly Revised MedlinePlus Tutorial for Librarians and Health Educators Now Available

 

The MedlinePlus Tutorial for Librarians and Health Educators explains how to locate information on 

• health conditions
• drugs
• supplements
• genetics
• and medical tests at MedlinePlus. 

Educators can now deepen their knowledge of the selection criteria and sources of MedlinePlus through hands-on exercises and knowledge checks. 

Designed to take about an hour to complete, this narrated tutorial also highlights additional tools and the authoritative sources from which MedlinePlus draws its health information.

The tutorial is worth one hour of continuing education credit from the Medical Library Association (MLA) and qualifies for MLA Consumer Health Information Specialization (CHIS) Level 1.  Register and access this free online tutorial here. 

Reprinted from The Region 6 Weekly Digest of the National Network of Medical Libraries.

MedlinePlus to become the NLM Home for Information in Multiple Languages

 

Starting on October 1, 2020, materials that are part of the National Library of Medicine's (NLM) HealthReach will become part of MedlinePlus, NLM's flagship website for health information for patients, families, and the general public. 

Established in 2007 as the Refugee Health Information Network, HealthReach has provided access to free, high-quality multilingual consumer health information resources for those providing services to individuals with limited English proficiency. We invite users to explore health information in multiple languages on MedlinePlus:

• MedlinePlus Health Information in Multiple Languages
• MedlinePlus Multiple Languages by Health Topic

This change to integrate HealthReach material into MedlinePlus, ending it as a stand-alone product, is part of the initiative to align and consolidate the Library's consumer health information to make it easier for online health information seekers to find and navigate trusted health information from NLM. 

This enhancement aligns with NLM's second goal of its strategic plan to reach more people in more ways through enhanced dissemination of information. Most material previously available at HealthReach will become accessible via MedlinePlus.

Please contact the NLM Support Center with any questions or suggestions.

Reposted from:  MedlinePlus to Become the NLM Home for Information in Multiple Languages. NLM Tech Bull. 2020 Sep-Oct;(436):e3.    ISSN 2161-2986 (Online) Content not copyrighted; freely reproducible.

Genetics Home Reference Merged into MedlinePlus

 

Thanks to WHSLA Member Barb Ruggeri for recommending this article for the WHSLA Blog.

As of October 1, 2020, the National Library of Medicine (NLM) will no longer offer Genetics Home Reference as a stand-alone website. Most of the content from Genetics Home Reference will be available in MedlinePlus, the NLM flagship website for health information for patients, families, and the general public. Please visit https://medlineplus.gov/genetics to access genetics content in MedlinePlus.

The decision to merge Genetics Home Reference into MedlinePlus is in line with our commitment to the NLM Strategic Plan 2017-2027: A Platform for Biomedical Discovery and Data-Powered Health.  This change is also part of the initiative to align and consolidate the Library's consumer health information to make it easier for online health information seekers to find and navigate trusted health information from NLM.

The genetics section of MedlinePlus includes information on more than 1300 genetic conditions, 1475 genes, all of the human chromosomes, and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). There you will also find the Help Me Understand Genetics primer, which offers a basic explanation of how genes work and how mutations cause disorders, as well as current information about genetic testing, gene therapy, genetics research, and precision medicine. As knowledge of the genetic basis of diseases steadily increases and genetic testing becomes more prevalent, MedlinePlus will continue to produce reliable genetic disease information.

Starting on October 1, 2020, the URLs for Genetics Home Reference content that has been integrated will redirect to the corresponding pages on MedlinePlus. Additionally, selected information from Genetics Home Reference will be available via data files and API, and via MedlinePlus Connect.

Additional information is available on the MedlinePlus is the New Home of Genetics Home Reference page.

NLM welcomes feedback on its products and services. Please contact the NLM Support Center with any questions.

Reposted from:

Genetics Home Reference Merged into MedlinePlus. NLM Tech Bull. 2020 Sept-Oct;(436):e1.

https://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/techbull/so20/so20_ghr_medlineplus_merge.html

ISSN 2161-2986 (Online) Content not copyrighted; freely reproducible.