Quiz (after examining info below): click here to access.

1. Australian

• ABC Health & Wellbeing is the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's online gateway to health: with health news, quizzes and tools, and videos and radio transcripts for Health Minutes (Norman Swan) and Healthy Living (Cathy Johnson); facts files on various health conditions and lots more. Of special note is a Consumer Guide on Medicines: Saving money on medicines includes information on generic drugs, over the counter medicines and even the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) which subsidises the cost of many (essential) medicines for Australians. Other sections are using medicines safely, alternative therapies and how to choose a GP: http://www.abc.net.au/health
  

• Better Health Channel: The Better Health Channel website was founded in 1999 by the Victorian Department of Human Services, Australia as a consumer health information website for the Victorian community. The site’s aim has always been to provide free health and medical information in an easy to understand format and language. http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/
  


• Consumer Health Forum: The Consumers Health Forum of Australia has the objective of representing consumers on national health issues. It undertakes funded projects and has a consumer representatives program. https://www.chf.org.au/index.php

• myDr - For A Healthy Australia: Medical conditions, medicines and treatments in Australia, tests and diagnosis (has Consumer Medication Information sheets). A medical dictionary and my Dr health images so you can “see what goes on inside”, particularly with some conditions and diseases are a great resource as are health tools, calculators, risk tests and quizzes on your health. http://www.mydr.com.au/

• Health Insite: HealthInsite is an Australian Government initiative, funded by the Department of Health and Ageing. It aims to improve the health of Australians by providing easy access to quality information about human health. Through this site you will find a wide range of up-to-date and quality assessed information on important health topics such as diabetes, cancer, mental health and asthma. http://www.healthinsite.gov.au/

• Labtestsonline: This website is specifically designed for the Australian healthcare consumer. When you need up-to-date and reliable information about laboratory tests and how they are used, Lab Tests Online Australasia is the place to look. http://www.labtestsonline.org.au/

• National Prescribing Service: The National Prescribing Service Limited (NPS) is an independent, non-profit organisation for Quality Use of Medicines. They provide accurate, balanced, evidence-based information and services to help people choose if, when and how to use medicines to improve their health and wellbeing. They are member-based, and work in partnership with health professionals, consumers, government and the pharmaceutical industry. They are funded by the Australian Government Department of Health & Ageing. http://www.nps.org.au/consumers
  

• NPS finding drugs info: By using the NPS Medicine Name Finder you can learn to identify your prescription medicines by the active ingredient name and brand name. The active ingredient is the chemical in the medicine that makes it work. http://nps.org.au/consumers/tools__and__tips/medicine_name_finder

2. International

• BMJ Best Health (UK): Information sourced from Clinical Evidence, the British Medical Journal's survey of the best medical research, which is read by doctors all over the world. Best Health looks at the same studies that doctor look at, but turns these studies into plain English. http://besthealth.bmj.com/x/index.html
  

• Center for Advancing Health (US): Ttranslating evidence into news; has an excellent set of articles for the ‘Prepared Patient’: http://www.cfah.org/

• Consumer Health Information Centre (UK): The Consumer Health Information Centre (CHIC) is an advice service set up to help health consumers understand more about health, including hints and tips to stay healthy and ways to get back their feet when illness strikes. CHIC is run by the Proprietary Association of Great Britain, which is the UK trade association representing manufacturers of over-the-counter medicines and food supplements. http://www.chic.org.uk/

• Clinical Knowledge (UK): The NHS Clinical Knowledge Summaries are a reliable source of evidence-based information and practical ‘know how’ about the common conditions managed in primary and first-contact care. You will need to register to use. http://cks.library.nhs.uk/information_for_patients

• Effective Healthcare - Guides for Patients and Consumers (US): has a range of summary guides for consumers including on different insulin preparations; osteoarthritis of the knee – what works and what does not; and many others. A VERY informative and useful website. http://effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov/index.cfm/guides-for-patients-and-consumers/

• Healia (US): has health guides, news blogs, quiz games and online communities. You can search medical journals, the web, clinical trials and all from this site. Part of the National Institute of Health. http://www.healia.com/

• Health Finder (US): Includes patients' leaflets. http://www.healthfinder.gov/

• MedlinePlus (US). MedlinePlus will direct you to information to help answer health questions. MedlinePlus brings together authoritative information from NLM, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and other US government agencies and health-related organizations. Preformulated MEDLINE searches are included in MedlinePlus and give easy access to medical journal articles. MedlinePlus also has extensive information about drugs, an illustrated medical encyclopedia, interactive patient tutorials, and latest health news. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/healthtopics.html

• NHS24 (Scotland). NHS24 provides comprehensive up-to-date health information and self care advice for people in Scotland. http://www.nhs24.com/content

• NHS Choices (UK): Medical information (and information on local health services in the UK), checks for symptoms - and read blogs by people with long-term conditions. http://www.nhs.uk

• NHS Direct (UK). NHS Direct describes itself as the UK healthline, providing expert health advice, information and reassurance, using world class telephone service and website, and to be the NHS’ provider of choice for telephone and digitally delivered health services. http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/

• NHS Evidence - Health Information Resources (UK). NHS Evidence incorporates some of the key components from the former National Library for Health, enhancing and providing the latest functionality. In addition NHS Evidence is developing an accreditation process for sources of information to provide confidence for users of health and social care information. http://www.library.nhs.uk/?nologin=true

• National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (US): includes a comprehensive section on herbs. http://nccam.nih.gov/

• Patients Information Forum (UK). PiF is an independent organisation that promotes high-quality information for patients, carers, and their families. http://www.pifonline.org.uk/

• Patient UK: Information leaflets for patients, information on medicines (prescription and over the counter, directory to websites and videos on health, lifestyle and disease. The site is run by a husband and wife team, both GPs, and although funded through advertising, it is fiercely independent and receives no funding from other sources, such as drug companies. http://www.patient.co.uk

• Teenage Health Freak (US). Inspired by a successful series of books under the same name, this site delivers cringe-free advice about all things adolescent - from sex and spots to alcohol and smoking. http://www.teenagehealthfreak.org

• Trip: Trip is a meta-search engine, including Patients' leaflets. The Trip database began in 1997 as a result of the work of the founders (Jon Brassey and Dr Chris Price) in answering clinical questions, using the principles of evidence based medicine. One of the remits of answering the clinical questions was to return them in a clinically relevant time frame. As well as being quick, the clinical questions needed to be answered using the best available evidence time. http://www.tripdatabase.com/index.html?categoryid=8

• UpToDate patient information section (global): http://uptodateonline.com/online/content/toc.do;jsessionid=E46A39E0E3FCA1E3D6962667E8EBD52E.0503?tocKey=table_of_contents/patient_information

3. Specialist

a) Diabetes

• American Diabetes Association (US): www.diabetes.org

• Clinical Knowledge (UK): http://www.cks.nhs.uk/information_for_patients#-325250

• Cholesterol levels (US): http://old.nhlbi.nih.gov/chd/CholesterolQuiz/quiz.htm and http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/chol/wyntk.htm

• Diabetes Australia: http://www.diabetesaustralia.com.au/

• Diabetes Counselling Online: http://www.diabetescounselling.com.au/

• Diabetes Information Plus (Scotland): http://www.diabetesinfoplus.co.uk/cmspi/diabetespi/main/home.aspx

• Diabetes UK: http://www.diabetes.org.uk/

• e-Library (Scotland): http://www.elib.scot.nhs.uk/portal/diabetes/Pages/index.aspx

• Medline Plus - tutorials for patients (US): http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/diabetesintroduction/htm/index.htm

• National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (US): http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/index.htm

• Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database (US): http://naturaldatabase.therapeuticresearch.com/ce/ceCourse.aspx?s=ND&cs=&pm=5&pc=10-107

• NHS Choices (England and Wales) - find out if you are at risk of type 2 diabetes http://www.nhs.uk/Tools/Pages/diabetes.aspx?Tag=g

• NHS Tayside Diabetes (Scotland): http://www.diabetes-healthnet.ac.uk/Default.aspx?pageid=63

• NOAH (US): www.noah-health.org/en/endocrine/diabetes

b) Cardiomyopathy

• Better Health Channel (Congestive Heart Failure): http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/BHCV2/bhcArticles.nsf/pages/Congestive_heart_failure?OpenDocumente_heart_failure?OpenDocument

• Clinical Knowledge (UK). Need to register first.http://cks.library.nhs.uk/patient_information_leaflet/heart_failure

• Heart failure advice site (includes downloadable diary pages to note medications and monitor fluid status): www.heartfailurematters.org/English_Lang/Pages/index.aspx

• “Living with heart failure”, Brisbane Cardiac Consortium: http://www.health.qld.gov.au/bcc/pdf/CHF_May2004.pdf

• Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database (US). http://www.naturaldatabase.com/(S(xlfo4b55gix1rw453iv32zei))/ce/ceCourse.aspx?s=ND&cs=&st=0&li=0&pc=07-32&cec=1&pm=5

4. See also

Video from Cochrane Consumer Network

Note: if you can't see the video screen, just click on this link:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3736464725518954884&hl=en

Video mentioning Cochrane in "ER" (TV series):

Video about Cochrane health consumers:

Royal Melbourne Hospital Melbourne Health NW Mental Health

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