2008 MASA Annual Session - Cyber Clinic - Continuing Medical Education

AARP
http://www.aarp.org

The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) is a non-profit organization “dedicated to shaping and enriching the experience of aging for our members and for all Americans. The “Health & Wellness” section of AARP provides seniors with information in such areas as fitness, caregiving, nursing homes, and health insurance.

ADA.org
http://www.ada.org

The American Dental Association (ADA) is the largest professional association of dentists in the United States. The “Public” section of ADA.org includes such features as “Oral Health Topics A-Z,” “ADA News Releases,” and special sections for kids, parents, mature adults, and teachers.

Alcoholics Anonymous
http://www.aa.org

Alcoholics Anonymous World Service is a non-profit, volunteer-based organization headquartered in New York, New York. Alcoholics Anonymous presents information about the Alcoholics Anonymous organization, its methods, and its programs. This site also includes general information about alcoholism.

All Allergy
http://allallergy.net

The CEO, editor, and designer of All Allergy is Dr Harris Steinman, a South African allergist. All Allergy is a comprehensive allergy resource with links to thousand of allergy-related Websites. All Allergy does not link selectively, but instead aims for comprehensive coverage of all allergy information on the Web.

Alzheimer's Association
http://www.alz.org

The largest private funder of Alzheimer’s research, the Alzheimer's Association provides education and support for Alzheimer’s victims, their families, and their caregivers. Besides providing information about the Alzheimer’s Association itself, Alzheimer’s Association includes sections that provide original-content information for “People with Alzheimer’s,” “Family, Caregivers, & Friends,” “Physicians & Health Care Professionals,” “Researchers,” and “Media.”

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) is a non-profit association composed of 6,500 child and adolescent psychiatrists and other physicians. Through its “Facts for Families” section, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry provides healthcare consumers with nearly 100 original-content publications dealing with topics ranging from “Making Daycare a Good Experience” to “Teen Suicide.” Official translations of “Facts for Families” are available in Spanish; unofficial translations are available in French and German.

The American Academy of Dermatology is a membership organization comprised of 13,000 dermatologists in the United States and Canada.The bulk of the consumer-health information found on American Academy of Dermatology comes in the form of patient pamphlets found in the “Patient Education” section that is, itself, part of the Website’s “Patient Information” section. There are pamphlets covering specific skin diseases (i.e. “Acne,” “Psoriasis,” “Warts,”) as well as more general topics (i.e. “The Darker Side of Tanning,” “Mature Skin,” Poison Ivy, Sumac & Oak”). A few pamphlets are also available in Spanish.

The American Academy of Pediatrics is a 55,000-member association of pediatricians and pediatric specialists. American Academy of Pediatrics ’ “You and Your Family” section provides child and adolescent consumer-health information through, among other resources, its “Public Education Brochures” and “The Pediatric Internet” (a list of pediatric Websites reviewed by pediatricians). The Website also allows consumers to purchase American Academy of Pediatrics consumer-health books directly from the Academy.

The American Association of Poison Control Centers is a nationwide organization of poison centers and interested individuals.The “Poisoning Prevention and Education” section of the Website provides poison-related consumer-health information including a printable “Poison Prevention Brochure,” “Poison Prevention Fact Sheets,” and “Prevention Tips.” There is also a “Links” section which leads to other poison resources on the Web.

The American Cancer Society is the largest source of private, nonprofit cancer research funds in the United States. American Cancer Society is the Web’s leading source for cancer information. The Website’s “Cancer Resource Center” provides consumers with general information about cancer (i.e. “Prevention & Risk Factors,” “Detection & Symptoms,” “Types of Treatment”) as well as information on specific forms of cancer. Information is available in both English and Spanish.

The American Council of the Blind (ACB) is the largest U.S. organization for blind and visually impaired people. The American Council of the Blind’s “Helpful Resources” section provides information on such topics as “Catalogs of Products for People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired,” “Guide Dog Schools and Associations,” and “Medical Information Sources on Macular Degeneration.”

The American Council on Science Health (ACSH) is an independent, non-profit consumer-education organization. Sections of American Council on Science and Health cover such topics as “Diseases,” “Environmental Health” “Food Safety,” and “Medical Care.” A main thrust of this Website is debunking what the ACSH sees as alarmist, unscientific stories concerning environmental and technological threats to human health.

The American Diabetes Association is a non-profit organization that conducts diabetes programs in all fifty states and the District of Columbia. The Web’s richest source of consumer-health information on diabetes, American Diabetes Association offers sections covering such diabetes-related topics as exercise, nutrition, clinical practice, and more. A “Virtual Grocery Store Tour” (sponsored by food manufacturers) teaches consumers about shopping for a diabetic.

The American Dietetic Association (ADA) is a professional organization comprised of nearly 70,000 members, the majority of whom are Registered Dieticians (RD). Information for healthcare consumers is provided via the “Healthy Lifestyle” and “Knowledge Center” sections of American Dietetic Association . Information resources include “Daily Nutrition Tips,” “Nutrition Fact Sheets,” a “Good Nutrition Reading List,” and more.

The American Gastroenterological Association is a professional association comprised of over 11,000 clinicians, researchers, and educators in the field of gastroenterology. The “Public” section of American Gastroenterological Association provides consumer-health information, some of it in the form of AGA Patient Wellness Brochures covering such topics as “Colorectal Cancer Screening,” “Irritable Bowel Syndrome,” and “What is Colonoscopy?” A section called “Digestive Health Message Boards” allows consumers to ask, and respond to, health questions, while the “Gastroenterological Locator Service” allows consumers to find gastroenterologists in their area.

The American Heart Association (AHA) is a privately funded voluntary health organization with some four million volunteers and chapters throughout the United States. A leading Website in the areas of heart disease and stroke, American Heart Association provides a wealth of consumer-health information through its encyclopedic “Heart and Stroke A-Z Guide.” Addition information is provided via sections covering “Warning Signs,” “Family Health,” and “Risk Awareness.”

The American Lung Association was founded in 1904 to fight tuberculosis. Besides major sections devoted to “Asthma,” “Tobacco Control,” and “Air Quality,” American Lung Association includes a “Diseases A to Z” section that provides information on over 100 lung diseases. A “Links” section points consumers to additional lung-related resources on the Web.

The American Medical Association is the largest physician-member organization in the United States. Though American Medical Association has a “Patients” section, to a large extent the Association provides consumer-health information via the Medem Website (see below).

The American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) is the largest association of its kind in the U.S., representing approximately 80% of all doctors of podiatry in the country. The American Podiatric Medical Association “Foot Health Information” section provides information on over 40 topics related to foot health, including general and sports-related conditions. The “e-Newsroom” links users to APMA press releases as well as to foot-related full-text articles from newspapers, magazines, and other sources.

With nearly 160,000 members, the American Psychological Association (APA) is the largest psychologist member organization in the world. The “Public” section of American Psychological Association provides consumer-health information within ten broad areas of interest, including “Mind, Body, & Health,” “Minorities,” “Parenting & Family,” “Women.” Sections entitled “News” and “Press Releases” provide information on current topics and controversies from the world of psychology.

The Arthritis Foundation is a national, voluntary health organization with over 150 chapters and service points in the United States. The “Starting Points” and “Arthritis Answers” sections of Arthritis Foundation answer common questions about arthritis and provide information on such topics as medications, alternative and complimentary therapies, arthritis in children, and the specifics of the more than 100 forms of arthritis.

Founded in 1914, the mission of the American Social Health Association (ASHA) is “to stop sexually transmitted diseases and their harmful consequences to individuals, families and communities. The consumer-health content of ASHA: American Social Health Association is found in the Website’s “Facts & Answers about STDS” section. Here consumers will find detailed information on over a dozen major sexually transmitted diseases.

The Autism Society of America (ASA) was founded in 1965 and now has 18,000 members and over 220 chapters in the United States. According to its own literature, “ASA is dedicated to increasing public awareness about autism and the day-to-day issues faced by individuals with autism, their families and the professionals with whom they interact. The “Information” section of Autism Society of America offers twenty-some information packages under the following headings: “Understanding The Diagnosis,” “Education,” “Treatment Options,” and “Adults with Autism.” Some of this information is available in Spanish. Though the quality of the consumer-health information on this Website is high, the amount provided is not large and all of it is in .pdf format, which requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Best Doctors is a fee-based service intended to help healthcare consumers locate the best doctors by medical specialty and location. The heart of Best Doctors are its two “Find a Doctor” features: “Best DocFinder” costs $25 and involves an Internet search. “AccuMatch” costs $975 and involves nurses who work with a patient or a patient’s representative to locate the best doctor for that particular patient. Best Doctors conducts nationwide surveys of doctors to find out which doctors are most recommended by their peers. Only board-certified doctors are included in Best Doctors , and doctors who have been sanctioned by state medical boards are excluded.

Best Hospitals Finder
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/
Best Hospitals Finder is a service of U.S. News Online, the Website of the news magazine U.S. News & World Report. The The bulk of this site is devoted to providing information about top U.S. hospitals. Best Hospitals Finder also includes the text of “Best Hospital Articles” from U.S. News & World Report as well as links to information on various medical topics.

Administered by the University of California, San Francisco, School of Pharmacy, the California Poison Control System (CPCS) is a consortium of California poison control centers. The “General Public” section of California Poison Control System provides a wealth of information on how to prevent poisoning, first aid for poisoning, and poisonous plants and animals. Basic poisoning-emergency information is available in 12 languages. The hotline numbers found on this Website are valid in California only.

The Health Care Financing Administration is the U.S. Government agency responsible for administering Medicare, Medicaid, and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. The “Information for Beneficiaries” link is the most direct way to access the consumer information contained on Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services . Besides providing information on such topics as “Medicare Private Fee-for-Service Plans” and “Maternal AIDS Consumer Information,” Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services makes numerous links to its companion Websites Medicare and Insure Kids Now .

Founded in 1971, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CPSI) has sought to educate the public and lawmakers in the areas of food safety and nutrition. The focus of Center for Science in the Public Interest is food safety and nutrition. To this end the Website offers “Nutrition Quizzes,” reports on food safety and additives, and “News Updates” that often criticize mainstays of the American diet.

Although much CDC information is aimed at healthcare professionals, there is still a great deal of information at Centers for Disease Control that can be of use to consumers. The “Health Topics A-Z” section provides detailed information on hundreds of disease and public-health topics. These range from the expected (“Asthma,” E. coli,” “Ringworm’) to the unexpected (“Cruise Ships,” “Ice Hockey,” “Tornado”). The “Publications” section includes a number of brochures and guides that could benefit and inform healthcare consumers. Many CDC materials are available in Spanish as well as English.

Developed by the National Library of Medicine, ClinicalTrials.gov is a service of the National Institutes of Health. ClinicalTrials.gov provides information about thousands of clinical studies; most of these are sponsored by Federal agencies, but there are plans to add studies sponsored by the pharmaceutical industry as well. Consumers can search for clinical trials by keyword or browse by either condition or sponsor. Once a study is found, ClinicalTrials.gov provides information on the study’s purpose, its eligibility requirements, location and contact information, and more.

Discoveryhealth.com is an offshoot of the Discovery Health Channel, a commercial television channel that delivers programming relating to health, medicine, and wellness. Within the “Disease and Conditions” section of Discoveryhealth.com, four online encyclopedias (Diseases & Conditions, Injuries, Surgery, and Medical Tests) provide substantial, signed articles on hundreds of health-related topics; in most cases, the authors of these articles are medical doctors.

A privately owned company based in Asheville, North Carolina, DoctorDirectory.com provides direct-to-consumer and direct-to-physician interactive marketing services to the healthcare industry.

Headed by former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. C. Everett Koop, drkoop.com is a commercial Website that “strives to be the most trusted and complete source of consumer healthcare information and services on the Internet. Sections such as “Family Health,” “Health & Wellness,” and “Conditions & Concerns” provide access to original-content consumer-health information, message boards, health tools (i.e. “Asthma Calculator,” “Ideal Weight Calculator,” etc.), and links to health resources which have been rated by drkoop.com’s own experts.

Epilepsy Foundation
www.epilepsyfoundation.org
The Epilepsy Foundation is a national non-profit organization with over 60 affiliates nationwide. An extremely well organized and easy to navigate Website, Epilepsy Foundation presents the bulk of its consumer-health information via its “Answer Place” section. Within the “Answer Place,” consumer-health information is accessible by topic (“Treatment,” “Medications,” “First Aid,” etc.) or by audience (“Adults”, “Parents,” “Police/Law Enforcement,” and so on.) Additional consumer-health information can be found in the “Epilepsy USA News” and “Services” sections.

extendedcare.com is a service of Extended Care Information Network, an Internet company that connects “hospitals and consumers with extended-care providers, including nursing homes, assisted-living and other senior-living residences, and home health care agencies.The consumer-health-content of extendedcare.com is found under the site’s “For Everyone” link. The “Informed Living” section provides signed articles (most written by social workers or other healthcare professionals) on such care-related topics as “Healthy Sexuality,” “Financial Planning,” “Pharmacy Facts,” and “Health Maturity.” The “Library” section provides access to chapters (most written by M.D.s or Ph.D.s) with titles such as “Influenza Vaccine Update,” “High Blood Pressure,” “Drug Interactions,” and so on.

Based in New Zealand, Family Doctor is funded by private individuals and overseen by an editorial board comprised of medical professionals. Consumer-health information is what Family Doctor is all about, and the database-driven nature of this Website makes it easy to find pertinent information whether you search by one of the broad categories (“Women’s Health,” “Sports Health,” etc.) or one of the “A to Z Conditions.” All the consumer-health information provided by Family Doctor is signed, dated, and written in an easy-to-understand, non-intimidating style.

familydoctor.org is a service of the American Academy of Family Physicians, a national association of family doctors with over 93,000 members in the United States. An especially bountiful source of consumer-health information, familydoctor.org provides consumers with numerous “Health Info Handouts,” “AAFP Family Health Facts,” and “Self-Care Flowcharts.” (The latter are decisions trees that help patients decide what steps to take based on symptoms and other factors.) Many of the “Health Info Handouts” are available in Spanish as well as English.

A service of the United States government, FirstGov is “the first-ever government website to provide the public with easy, one-stop access to all online U.S. Federal Government resources. The “Healthy People” section of FirstGov provides access to U.S. government information on health (via healthfinder), health insurance, and disease (via National Institutes of Health: Health Information).

The United States Food And Drug Administration (FDA) is the federal agency charged with regulating food, medical devices, drugs, biologicals (vaccines, blood products, etc.), animal feed and drugs, cosmetics, and radiation-emitting consumer and medical products. The FDA is under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. For the areas over which the FDA has regulatory control (see above), Food And Drug Administration provides access to extensive consumer-health information. Most of this information can be accessed via the site’s “Consumer,” “Patients,” “Women”, “Seniors,” and “Kids” sections. Visitors to the site can also access the full text of FDA Consumer, a magazine published by the FDA.

Founded in 1994, Galaxy is a for-profit Web directory owned by a subsidiary of FOX Entertainment and a group of private investors. Similar to Yahoo! in that it covers a full range of subject areas, Galaxy provides links to consumer-health information via its “Medicine” section (though within this section there is no division between consumer and professional information). Once in the “Medicine” section, consumers can click down through the directory structure until they find a link to the information they need. There is no original-content health information on Galaxy.

Go Ask alice!
http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu
Go Ask alice! is a service of Alice!, Columbia University’s Health Education Program, itself a division of the Columbia University Health Service. Using a question-and-answer format, Go Ask alice! strives to provide factual, non-judgmental information about physical, sexual, emotional, and spiritual health. Go Ask alice! has generated controversy by providing frank answers to questions about sex posted by children and teens.

Austin, Texas based HealthAnswers is a for-profit company that provides consumer-health information in conjunction with Physicians Weekly, Reuters Health Information, Gold Standard Multimedia, and other content partners. In the nascent genre of for-profit consumer-health Websites, HealthAnswers is a classic of the type. Via the site’s “Health Centers,” “Health Topics,” and “Diseases/Conditions” sections, consumers can find large amounts of original-content consumer-health information on thousands of topics. The site also features a drug database in both English and Spanish, a collection of some 2000 audio/video segments on various health topics, health chat rooms, and current health news. Any visitor who completes a free registration can set up a customized “My Health” page.

Medical Network, Inc. is the parent company of both the consumer-oriented healthAtoZ and a sister Website for healthcare professionals, MedConnect.com (also know as healthAtoZProfessional). Founded by an M.D., healthAtoZ is overseen by a Medical Advisory Board composed of medical doctors and pharmacists. Within sections entitled “Your Family,” “Condition Forums,” “Wellness Centers,” and “Healthy Lifestyles,” healthAtoZ provides both original-content information as well as links to rated and reviewed Websites. Other features include “my healthatoz,” health-related message boards, online chats with health experts, and assorted calculators (weight, fertility, fitness, etc.).

California-based HealthCentral is a for-profit health Website that generates profits through advertising and direct sales of health-related products. HealthCentral’s chief medical officer, an M.D., is responsible for “medical content and quality related issues” on the Website. A typical large, for-profit health Website, HealthCentral provides access to consumer-health information via a “Conditions & Topics” section as well as through “Topic Centers” and a searchable “Library and Encyclopedias” section. There are also sections that offer health calculators, access to support communities, drug information, and information on alternative health topics. At times the lines between consumer-health information and product sales are blurred on this Website.

A service of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, healthfinder is “a gateway to selected consumer health and human services information resources provided by U.S. government agencies and other organizations serving the public interest. As a gateway Website, healthfinder provides links to resources rather than original-content information. The bulk of the resources linked to are U.S. Government Websites. Every resource linked to must meet the criteria of the healthfinder selection policy, which consumers may read on the healthfinder site. Consumers can find information on a wide variety of health topics by using the healthfinder search engine, by using the site’s alphabetical index, or by exploring various categories. A good deal of health information in Spanish is accessible via healthfinder.

HealthGrades “educates and empowers consumers by offering free objective ratings and in-depth profiles that allow them to evaluate and select providers based on quality. The heart of HealthGrades are its “Healthcare Report Cards” which rate hospitals, physicians, nursing homes, home health agencies, hospice programs, and fertility clinics. Consumers can search for report cards in a number of ways, including by name, state, ZIP code, medical specialty, and so on. The site also includes a “Conditions A-Z” section.

California-based HealthWorld Online promotes what it calls “Self-Managed Care,” an approach that strives for a synthesis of alternative and conventional healthcare. Organized around the concept of small town, HealthWorld Online is divided into such areas as “Fitness Center,” “University,” “Marketplace,” “Alternative Medicine,” and so on. Though there is some inclusion of conventional medicine, HealthWorld Online clearly favors alternative healthcare and provides large doses of information on alternative-health therapies, medicines, diets, lifestyles, and providers.

Founded in 1995, the Health on the Net Foundation (HON) is a Swiss non-profit organization whose mission “is to guide the growing community of healthcare consumers and providers on the World Wide Web to sound, reliable medical information and expertise. A gateway to health information, HON features MedHunt (an intelligent search engine designed to locate Web-based health information) and HONselect (a database of quality health information on the Web.)

Billing itself as “The Trusted Source,” InteliHealth strives to provide reliable consumer-health information from sources that include Harvard Medical School and the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine. InteliHealth is owned and partly funded by Aetna U.S. Healthcare. Consumers can access consumer-health information under such categories as “Men’s Health,” “Women’s Health,” “Children’s Health,” and “Senior’s Health,” or they can search by condition. InteliHealth offers health-related chat, a “Drug Resource Center,” an “Ask the Doc” feature, health news, and free health emails on nearly twenty topics.

Owned by the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research through its subsidiary HealthOasis, Inc. Consumers may access original-content consumer-health information via “Diseases and Conditions,” “Condition Centers,” or “Healthy Living Centers.” MayoClinic.com allows consumers to search for information on over 8,000 prescription and over-the-counter medications via its “Drug Information” feature, while a “First-Aid & Self-Care Guide” covers dozens of major and minor health problems.

A joint venture among eight of the leading medical societies in the United States, Medem “provides innovative tools and secure technologies for physicians to provide patients access to trusted health information via their doctor's own Web site. The heart of Medem is its “Medical Library.” Divided into four sections--“Life Stages,” “Diseases and Conditions,” “Therapies and Health Strategies,” and “Health and Society”--the “Medical Library” consist of peer-reviewed information provided by medical societies.

A for-profit company founded in 1996, MedicineNet.com claims that all of its “health and medical information is written, reviewed and /or edited by one or more board-certified physicians. Similar to many other large commercial consumer-health Websites, MedicineNet.com offers information on diseases and conditions, wellness, medications, and so on. Visitors who join the “MemberAdvantage” program for $9.95 per year can obtain help searching for information from the MedicineNet.com “Healthcare Advocates,” a panel of “70+ Board Certified Physicians.”

MEDLINEplus
http://www.medlineplus.gov

A service of the United States National Library of Medicine, MEDLINEplus primarily organizes and provides links to full-text consumer-health publications of the National Institutes of Health and other U.S. federal government organizations. MEDLINEplus also links to non-government Websites that meet its criteria for quality and accessibility. MEDLINEplus is composed of five major divisions: “Health Topics,” “Drug Information,” “Dictionaries,” “Directories,” and “Other Resources.” The links in the “Health Topics” section number in the hundreds. Most health topics include links to significant numbers of Spanish-language publications.

Medscape is a provider of digital health records and online health information. Medscape’s mission is “to improve healthcare by delivering products and services that provide reliable, digital clinical data and up-to-date information to healthcare professionals and consumers.” The editor in chief of Medscape is Dr. George Lundberg, M.D., former editor of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association. Although Medscape is aimed more at healthcare professionals than at consumers, it contains a wealth of health information for the diligent consumer. Medscape offers a large and searchable collection of free, full-text medical articles as well as consumer-oriented information. To access much of Medscape, visitors must complete a free registration process.

Merck is an international biomedical company involved in publishing and the development and manufacture of pharmaceuticals. Based on The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy (a.k.a. The Merck Manual), the Merck Manual of Medical Information-Home Edition is very much in the tradition of the one-volume encyclopedia of home health. The 287 chapters and 5 appendixes of the Merck Manual of Medical Information-Home Edition provide a wealth of scientifically based health information for the consumer. Chapters range from “Pain” to “Nutritional Disorders” to “Cataracts.”

A service of the Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women's Health, National Women’s Health Information Center (NWHIC) links to U.S. federal government as well as other women's health information resources. The mission of NWHIC “is to provide current, reliable, commercial and cost-free, health information to women and their families. The bulk of the consumer-health information found on National Women’s Health Information Center can be accessed via the extensive alphabetical listings found under “Health Topics” or via keyword search. The National Women’s Health Information Center homepage provides current news on women’s health issues as well as special-topic links such as “Men’s Health,” “Body Image,” and “Violence Against Women.”

A non-profit consumer-health resource, NetWellness “provides high quality information created and evaluated by medical and health professional faculty at the University of Cincinnati, Case Western Reserve University, and The Ohio State University.” The original-content information found on NetWellness, as well as the Websites linked to, must “meet the Health Summit Working Group Criteria for credibility, content and disclosure.The alphabetical links in the NetWellness “Health Topics” section lead to signed and dated original-content information, evaluated links, or topic-specific “Ask An Expert” pages. Other sections of NetWellness include “Today’s News,” “Library,” and “Clincial Trials.”

NOAH: New York Online Access to Health is a service of the City University of New York, the Metropolitan New York Library Council, the New York Academy of Medicine, and the New York Public Library. Currently funded by Federal Library Services and Technology Act funds granted by The New York State Library, NOAH also receives support from the Queens Borough Public Library, the March of Dimes, Aetna U.S. Healthcare, and NYU Medical Center. “NOAH seeks to provide high quality full-text health information for consumers that is accurate, timely, relevant and unbiased. NOAH currently supports English and Spanish. A gateway Website, NOAH provides links to consumer-health information via its “Health Topics” section.

The National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) is composed of 140 “voluntary health organizations dedicated to helping people with rare ‘orphan’ diseases and assisting the organizations that serve them.The heart of NORD is its three databases. The “Rare Disease Database” provides consumer-oriented information on over 1,000 rare diseases. The “Organizational Database” helps consumers get in touch with associations, foundations, agencies, and support groups that assist those affected by rare diseases. The “Orphan Drug” database provides information on some 900 drugs that have been designated as Orphan Drugs by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Founded in 1994, OncoLink is a service of the University of Pennsylvania Cancer Center. The mission of OncoLink is “to help cancer patients, families, health care professionals and the general public get accurate cancer-related information at no charge. A rich and easy-to-navigate source of cancer information aimed at both healthcare consumers and professionals, OncoLink is divided into such section as “Disease Oriented Menus,” “Cancer Causes, Screening, and Prevention,” “Clinical Trials,” “Financial Issues for Patients,” and more. Much of the information on OncoLink is original content, and all such content is signed and dated.

Caring Connections, a program of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), is a national consumer engagement initiative to improve care at the end of life, supported by a grant from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Caring Connections provides free resources and information to help people make decisions about end-of-life care and services before a crisis; helps people connect with the resources they need, when they need them; and, brings together community, state and national partners working to improve end-of-life care. In the “Advanced Care Planning” section, consumers can download state-specific packages that help the dying and their families make sure the wishes of the dying are respected to the extent that the laws of the various states permit.

A subsidiary of the Dannemiller Memorial Educational Foundation, pain.com is also supported by educational grants from a number of biomedical corporations. Divided into “Professional Information” and “Consumer Information” sections, pain.com provides links to pain resources on the Web, a directory of pain clinics in the U.S. and abroad, a searchable “Pain Library,” a directory of pain support groups, an “Ask the Pain Doctor” feature, and more.

The online arm of the venerable drug reference book Physician’s Desk Reference, PDR.net is owned by the New-Jersey-based Medical Economics Company, a division of Thompson Healthcare. The “For Consumers” section of PDR.net includes sections entitled “Drug Information,” “PDR for Herbal Medicines,” “Heath News,” and “PDR’s Getting Well Network,” the latter providing information on about a half-dozen conditions commonly treated with medication. (At least one of the “Getting Well Network” areas is sponsored by the manufacturer of a pharmaceutical used to treat the condition in question.) Users who complete a free registration may access three sub-sections of “Drug Information:” PDR® Family Guide to Prescription Drugs, PDR® Family Guide to Women's Health, PDR® Family Guide Encyclopedia of Medical Care, A fourth sub-section, PDR ( Physician's Desk Reference), is accessible only to consumers who pay a fee of $10 per month or $100 per year.

PersonalMD.com is a California-based commercial Website that generates income through advertising and online retail sales. A medical advisory board composed of nine M.D.s reviews the content of the site for relevance and accuracy. Like many other commercial consumer-health Websites, PersonalMD.com provides access to information on a number of diseases and conditions. However, the centerpiece of PersonalMD.com is its online medical records feature. For a fee of $40 per year, an individual can store his or her medical records on the secure PersonalMD.com Website. Those who subscribe to this service are