Health and Medication Information Resources on the World Wide Web

2013 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 85-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Grossman ◽  
Tina Zerilli
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Web Sites ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Web Site ◽  
Information Resources ◽  
Online Resources ◽  
Drug Shortage ◽  
Vast Number ◽  
Medication Information ◽  
American Society

Health care practitioners have increasingly used the Internet to obtain health and medication information. The vast number of Internet Web sites providing such information and concerns with their reliability makes it essential for users to carefully select and evaluate Web sites prior to use. To this end, this article reviews the general principles to consider in this process. Moreover, as cost may limit access to subscription-based health and medication information resources with established reputability, freely accessible online resources that may serve as an invaluable addition to one’s reference collection are highlighted. These include government- and organization-sponsored resources (eg, US Food and Drug Administration Web site and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists’ Drug Shortage Resource Center Web site, respectively) as well as commercial Web sites (eg, Medscape, Google Scholar). Familiarity with such online resources can assist health care professionals in their ability to efficiently navigate the Web and may potentially expedite the information gathering and decision-making process, thereby improving patient care.

Drug Shortages and the Role of the Pharmacy Technician: A Review

2011 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 247-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle N Mangan ◽  
Mary F Powers
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Data Extraction ◽  
Drug Shortage ◽  
Drug Shortages ◽  
Study Selection ◽  
National Drug ◽  
Pharmacy Technicians ◽  
American Society ◽  
History Of Use

Objective: To increase pharmacy technicians' awareness of national drug shortages, enabling them to understand why drug shortages occur and how they can help ameliorate the effects that a drug shortage may have in their workplace. Data Sources: Articles were identified through searches of MEDLINE and PubMed (1950 through July, 2011) using the following search terms: drug shortages, drug shortages and legislation, drug shortages and law, and drug shortages and safety. Additionally, resources on drug shortages from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, the FDA, and the Institute for Safe Medication Practices were used. Study Selection and Data Extraction: Articles describing drug shortages, drug shortages and legislation, and managing drug shortages in the health care setting were included. Data Synthesis: The effects of drug shortages on pharmacy departments and the health care system as a whole can place significant strain on pharmacists. Pharmacy technicians can play a key role in the initial management of a drug shortage by being responsible for such tasks as validating shortage details and duration with manufacturers, determining the institution's current stock and history of use of a medication, and remaining up-to-date on current drug shortages to help keep patients and other health care professionals informed. Conclusions: Pharmacy technicians are a valuable resource for pharmacists in the management of drug shortages and can work with pharmacists to perform operational and assessment tasks after a drug shortage has been identified.

scholarly journals Patient Preferences and Utilization of Online Resources for Patients Treated in Hand Surgery Practices

Hand ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 277-283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison J. Rao ◽  
Christopher J. Dy ◽  
Charles A. Goldfarb ◽  
Mark S. Cohen ◽  
Robert W. Wysocki
Keyword(s):  
Web Sites ◽  
Patient Preferences ◽  
Web Site ◽  
Office Visit ◽  
Hand Surgery ◽  
Online Resources ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Before And After ◽  
American Society

Background: The Internet is a widely used resource by patients however, objective data on details such as frequency of usage and specific sites visited is lacking. We surveyed patients from hand surgery practices to describe patient preferences and utilization patterns for online resources. Methods: From October 2015 to June 2016, we enrolled patients presenting to 4 orthopedic hand surgeons at 2 academic institutions. Patients completed a survey, with questions related to their preference for learning about their diagnosis and Internet utilization both before and after the visit. Results: A total of 226 patients were enrolled in the study. Forty-five percent of the patients had done online research prior to the office visit, and 81% preferred to learn about their diagnosis through verbal communication, as opposed to only 8% who listed Web site information. Fifty percent indicated that there was a greater than 50% chance or they would definitely seek additional information on the Internet after the office visit. When asked to choose from a list of Web sites to visit, the most popular Web site was WebMD. Specialty society Web sites (American Society for Surgery of the Hand and American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) were less popular. Conclusions: This survey-based study found that a majority of patients utilize the Internet both before and after the office visit; however, they often utilize unregulated sites for information. This information can help physicians guide patients to high-quality Web sites for information on their clinical diagnosis and treatment.

scholarly journals Factors associated with medication information in diabetes care: differences in perceptions between patients and health care professionals

2015 ◽  
pp. 1431 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerda Längst ◽  
Hanna Marita Seidling ◽  
Marion Stützle ◽  
Dominik Ose ◽  
Ines Baudendistel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Diabetes Care ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Medication Information

scholarly journals Examining the role of MEDLINE as a patient care information resource: an analysis of data from the Value of Libraries study

2017 ◽  
Vol 105 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathel Dunn ◽  
Joanne Gard Marshall ◽  
Amber L. Wells ◽  
Joyce E. B. Backus
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Adverse Events ◽  
Patient Care ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Information Resources ◽  
Information Resource ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Other Information

Objective: This study analyzed data from a study on the value of libraries to understand the specific role that the MEDLINE database plays in relation to other information resources that are available to health care providers and its role in positively impacting patient care.Methods: A previous study on the use of health information resources for patient care obtained 16,122 responses from health care providers in 56 hospitals about how providers make decisions affecting patient care and the role of information resources in that process. Respondents indicated resources used in answering a specific clinical question from a list of 19 possible resources, including MEDLINE. Study data were examined using descriptive statistics and regression analysis to determine the number of information resources used and how they were used in combination with one another.Results: Health care professionals used 3.5 resources, on average, to aid in patient care. The 2 most frequently used resources were journals (print and online) and the MEDLINE database. Using a higher number of information resources was significantly associated with a higher probability of making changes to patient care and avoiding adverse events. MEDLINE was the most likely to be among consulted resources compared to any other information resource other than journals.Conclusions: MEDLINE is a critical clinical care tool that health care professionals use to avoid adverse events, make changes to patient care, and answer clinical questions.

Comprehension of Online Educational Material Regarding Orofacial Clefts

2019 ◽  
Vol 56 (9) ◽  
pp. 1206-1212
Author(s):  
Diana S. Jodeh ◽  
Aleshia J. Pringle ◽  
S. Alex Rottgers
Keyword(s):  
Web Sites ◽  
Web Site ◽  
Cleft Lip ◽  
Cleft Lip And Palate ◽  
The United States ◽  
Educational Material ◽  
Reading Level ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Mean ◽  
American Society

Background:Cleft lip and palate are among the common birth defects in the United States. Management is complex and may be difficult for parents and patients to understand. The goal of this study was to evaluate the readability of online educational material provided by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) and the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association (ACPA) websites regarding cleft lip and palate and to assess parents’ comprehension.Methods:Parents of children younger than 10 years of age presenting to the plastic and reconstructive surgery clinic at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital for conditions other than cleft lip and palate were recruited for participation. Parents were given the literature published on the ASPS and ACPA web sites to review and were asked to complete a 5-question test specifically targeted to the content of the passage they reviewed. We tested the readability of the 2 online passages using Readability Studio software (Oleander Software Solutions Ltd).Results:Sixty parents completed the study. Across all groups, the mean score was 4.35 of a possible 5. The mean score was 4.4 for the ASPS web site and 4.29 for the ACPA web site. Fifty-three percent of participants answered all questions correctly. No significant difference in scores was noted between web sites ( P = .48).Conclusions:Despite containing content of varying reading-level difficulty, the literature posted on the ACPA and ASPS web sites concerning cleft lip and palate conveyed information equally well to the target parent demographic with high levels of comprehension.

New FDA Web Site for Health Care Professionals

JAMA ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 280 (21) ◽  
pp. 1817 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stuart L. Nightingale
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Web Site

scholarly journals Pharmacy response to COVID-19: lessons learnt from Canada

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Elbeddini ◽  
Amy Botross ◽  
Rachel Gerochi ◽  
Mohamed Gazarin ◽  
Ahmed Elshahawi
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Accurate Information ◽  
Best Interest ◽  
Drug Shortage ◽  
Pharmacy Staff ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Willingness To Adopt ◽  
Flu Vaccine ◽  
Second Wave

AbstractWhen the first wave of COVID-19 hit in March 2020, health care professionals across Canada were challenged to quickly and efficiently adapt to change their work practices in these unprecedented times. Pharmacy professionals, being some of the very few front-line health care workers who remained accessible in person for patients, had to rapidly adopt critical changes in their pharmacies to respond in the best interest of their patients and their pharmacy staff. As challenging and demanding as such changes were, they provided pharmacists with invaluable lessons that would be imperative as the country enters a potentially more dangerous second wave. This article seeks to identify and summarize opportunities for improvement in pharmacy as learnt from the pandemic’s first wave. Such areas include but are not limited to handling of drug shortage and addressing drug hoarding and stockpiling, providing physical and mental support for staff, timing of flu vaccine and COVID-19 screening/testing, collaboration between different health care sites as well as collaboration with patients and with other health care professionals, telemedicine and willingness to adopt innovative ideas, need for more staff training and more precise research to provide accurate information and finally the need for more organizational and workplace support. Learning from what went well and what did not work in the early stages of the pandemic is integral to ensure pharmacy professionals are better prepared to protect themselves and their patients amidst a second and possibly subsequent waves.

Drug information seeking behaviours of health care professionals in Iran

2015 ◽  
Vol 116 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 173-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iman Tahamtan ◽  
Mina Tavassoli Farahi ◽  
Askar Safipour Afshar ◽  
Hamid R Baradaran
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Drug Information ◽  
Handheld Computers ◽  
Information Resources ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Related Information ◽  
The Way

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to list the resources that Iranian health-care professionals used to access drug-related information, to know the features and types of drug information resources which were much more important for health-care professionals, the problems they encountered in seeking drug information and the way they organized and re-found the information that they had retrieved. Drug-related queries are one of the most common types of questions in medical settings. Design/methodology/approach – This was a descriptive-analytical study conducted in Iran during 2014. The data collection tool was a self-designed questionnaire. Data analysis was conducted using Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Descriptive statistics and chi-square test were used to analyse the data and examine the research hypothesis. Findings – Participants used books, drug manuals, search engines and medical databases more frequently, and less than half of them consulted colleagues to acquire drug-related information for clinical, educational and research purposes. Handheld computers were used by most participants to access and store drug information. Lack of access to drug information and lack of enough time were the main obstacles in seeking drug information. A significant association (p value = 0.024) was detected between organizing and re-finding information for future uses. Originality/value – This study investigated drug information-seeking behaviours of health-care professionals and the way they managed this information in a developing country that lacks necessary information technology infrastructures. Training programmes are required to help health-care professionals to find and access reliable and up-to-date drug information resources and to more easily re-find the found drug information for future uses.

scholarly journals Physiotherapists’ Use of Web-Based Information Resources to Fulfill Their Information Needs During a Theoretical Examination: Randomized Crossover Trial

10.2196/19747 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (12) ◽  
pp. e19747
Author(s):  
Cailbhe Doherty ◽  
Arash Joorabchi ◽  
Peter Megyesi ◽  
Aileen Flynn ◽  
Brian Caulfield
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Information Resources ◽  
Portal System ◽  
Smart Devices ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Digital Information ◽  
Federated Search ◽  
Web Browser

Background The widespread availability of internet-connected smart devices in the health care setting has the potential to improve the delivery of research evidence to the care pathway and fulfill health care professionals’ information needs. Objective This study aims to evaluate the frequency with which physiotherapists experience information needs, the capacity of digital information resources to fulfill these needs, and the specific types of resources they use to do so. Methods A total of 38 participants (all practicing physiotherapists; 19 females, 19 males) were randomly assigned to complete three 20-question multiple-choice questionnaire (MCQ) examinations under 3 conditions in a randomized crossover study design: assisted by a web browser, assisted by a federated search portal system, and unassisted. MCQ scores, times, and frequencies of information needs were recorded for overall examination-level and individual question-level analyses. Generalized estimating equations were used to assess differences between conditions for the primary outcomes. A log file analysis was conducted to evaluate participants’ web search and retrieval behaviors. Results Participants experienced an information need in 55.59% (845/1520) MCQs (assisted conditions only) and exhibited a mean improvement of 10% and 16% in overall examination scores for the federated search and web browser conditions, respectively, compared with the unassisted condition (P<.001). In the web browser condition, Google was the most popular resource and the only search engine used, accounting for 1273 (64%) of hits, followed by PubMed (195 hits; 10% of total). In the federated search condition, Wikipedia and PubMed were the most popular resources with 1518 (46% of total) and 1273 (39% of total) hits, respectively. Conclusions In agreement with the findings of previous research studies among medical physicians, the results of this study demonstrate that physiotherapists frequently experience information needs. This study provides new insights into the preferred digital information resources used by physiotherapists to fulfill these needs. Future research should clarify the implications of physiotherapists’ apparent high reliance on Google, whether these results reflect the authentic clinical environment, and whether fulfilling clinical information needs alters practice behaviors or improves patient outcomes.

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