The best way to use the Internet for healthcare information is to use a small number of "gateway" sites. These sites provide lots of links to other useful, related sites, and because the links are on a website from a bona fide source, you can be fairly sure that the sites on the other end of the links will also be of fairly decent quality.
Please remember that there are no laws on the Internet. Anyone can set up a page offering medical advice. That advice may be sound, but it could be cranky, misinformed, or even dangerous. Going through a gateway site should help you to avoid getting lost in acres of information.
LondonLinks
http://www.londonlinks.ac.uk
Excellent site from Library and Information Development Unit, North Thames PMDE
Links to:- most libraries in the Essex and North Thames areas; Department of Health; Bodies that help with evidence-based practice; TRIP (Turning Research into Practice), NRR (National Research Register), CHAIN (a contacts directory for people interested in health research); etc.
Databases eg Medline and hints on how to use them. It includes the RDD which is the book catalogue of the libraries in the Region including St Helena Hospice Library.
National Library for Health
http://www.library.nhs.uk/Default.aspx
National Web based information resource for the NHS and the UK public. As it develops NeLH will provide access to a range of high quality information resources to support better patient care.
PubMed
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/
Free Medline on the Internet. Useful for very up-to-date information as it is updated daily. It also goes back to 1966. It is available quickly from Project Connect.
OMNI
http://www.intute.ac.uk/healthandlifesciences/omnilost.html
Organising Medical Networked Information site. Easy to search - browse the index and choose a subject. Links to online books, online journals, websites of professional bodies etc.
ScHARR
http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/~scharr/ir/netting
ScHarr (say "shah") is the Sheffield University School of Health and Related Research. "Netting the Evidence" site links to evidence-based practice sites all over the Internet. Links include the Centre for Evidence Based Nursing, Clinical Evidence (a compendium of current evidence produced by the BMJ) and details of e-mail discussion lists.
Department of Health
http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Home
Excellent site - full text versions of white papers and other government information. Links to other bits of the NHS, e.g. the research & development arm.
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center: Information Resource
http://www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/457.cfm
This site provides objective information for oncologists and healthcare professionals.
BMA
http://www.bma.org.uk/homepage.nsf
Well laid out and easy to use site. It includes full text of the BMJ. Links to sites for Royal Colleges, professional bodies, giving careers advice, international sites (World Health Organisation, European Parliament), journals and patient information.
CancerLit
http://www.cancer.gov/cancerinfo/literature
CancerLit, from National Cancer Institute (NCI) - database of references to published journal articles, conference proceedings, government reports and monographs .
'Topic Searches' pull together recent articles on frequently requested subjects e.g. breast cancers, references focus on specific aspects such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy or surgery.
MHRA: Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency
http://www.mhra.gov.uk/index.htm
This site has an A-Z index to the website which is accessible from the top of the page.
Oncolink
http://oncolink.upenn.edu/
Important site for cancer and related issues. Allows patients, families and professionals access to educational materials and sources of support.
Journals, including the American Journal of Nursing, can be downloaded.
Meetings are announced.
Keyword searches give easy retrieval, just like using a CD-ROM.
Information can be found by searching through lists of medical specialties.
Deftly balances this academic foundation with some first hand accounts of the disease and its impact on the lives of people.
NMC [Nursing & Midwifery Council]
http://www.nmc-uk.org
List of publications (including the Code of Conduct) and also some standards.
Royal College of Nursing
http://www.rcn.org.uk/
Health Care Databases from previous ENB web site to be found.
Anglia Ruskin Library (ARU)
http://www.libweb.anglia.ac.uk
Very useful site for Anglia Ruskin University students
and lecturers. Some full text journals are available: to
gain full access you need a password to other sites. Apply
to the ARU library at Chelmsford with your Student identification
and your E-mail address.
GriefNet
http://www.griefnet.org
Information on grief and loss, including a site for children facing loss.
Kennedy Institute of Ethics
http://bioethics.georgetown.edu
Useful for ethical issues relating to death and dying. Links to Bioethicsline database.
Help the Hospices
http://www.helpthehospices.org.uk
Hospice House
34-44 Britannia Street
London WC1X 9JG
Telephone:- 020 75208200
Fax:- 020 72781021
Email:- info@helpthehospices.org.uk
Grant giving charity that helps to organise and fund education and training opportunities for providers of hospice and palliative care services.
The National Council for Palliative
Care
http://www.ncpc.org.uk
1st. Floor Hospice House
34-44 Britannia Street
London WC1X 9JG
Telephone:- 020 75208299
Fax:- 020 75208298
Email:- enquiries@hospice-spc-council.org.uk
Co-ordinating and representative organisation for hospice and palliative care services in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Search Engines (eg Google, AltaVista, Yahoo)
Use the one that suits you. Remember no search engine searches the whole web - if one doesn't answer your problem, try another.
More links to sites giving information and support to patients
and carers. Click on Patient
Information
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