Evaluating Medical News Reports in the Popular Media

It seems as though every time you turn around medical news is reported in the popular media. With the hype surrounding some of these reports, it can be tempting to take the information at face value. However, for your safety and the safety of your loved ones and your patients, it is important to look critically at medical news.

If you ask the following questions about the studies reported on in the media, you’ll be better able to distinguish between potentially useful and potentially useless information. (For a more in-depth explanation of the points listed below, check out The Healthy Skeptic: Cutting through the Hype about Your Health by Robert J. Davis, PhD. available at both the St. Elizabeth Hospital and Mercy Medical Center libraries.)

What kind of study is being reported on?
There are numerous types of studies that serve different research aims. In terms of applying study findings to your situation, randomized clinical trials and cohort studies can be considered most credible, while test-tube research and animal studies are not as credible.

How big is the effect of the study?
As a general rule of thumb, the larger the effect, the more you can believe in the results.

Could the findings be a fluke?
If the study outcome can be chalked up to chance, the results might not be as reliable.

Who was studied?
This is an important question to ask if you want to discover whether a study’s findings might apply to you.

Is there a good explanation for the results?
If study findings don’t make sense biologically, you should exercise caution in interpreting the results.

Who paid for the research?
Much research is funded by organizations with vested interest in the outcome. While findings of such studies aren’t always suspicious, you’d be more able to trust findings of studies funded by entities that don’t stand to profit from the results.

Was the study peer reviewed?
Having outside experts in the field scrutinize the results can add an extra layer of credibility to a study.

How does this study square with other studies?
Research does not often stand on its own. How does this study fit with others that came before it? Are the findings consistent?

Your Affinity librarians can help. If you see or read a medical news report and would like to know if the information is reliable, we can do the research and look for answers to the questions above.

Please contact Michele at Mercy Medical Center (223-0342) or Margo at
St. Elizabeth Hospital (738-2324) if you, a loved one, or one of your patients needs help finding information or using the library resources that will help them to become wise health consumers.

MDConsult and ADAM Patient Education Handouts

With ADAM Quicksheets going away in July, clinicians will be delighted (and relieved) to know that MDConsult contains the same high-quality ADAM patient-education handouts. You’ll recognize the same style of illustrations and content.

When you sign up for an MDConsult Personalized Account, you’ll be able to customize the Patient Education Handouts. Clicking on the following link for generic access to MDConsult (no need to sign in for generic access). Sign in or Create an account to customize handouts.

New to MDConsult? If generic access is via IP, why should I register?

We recommend that you register for a Personal Login if:
* You want to access MDConsult outside Affinity (remote access at home, at the coffee shop, on vacation, etc. …)
* You want to personalize the Patient Handouts
* You want to use the PDA Resources

A step-by-step, detailed guide with screen shots on How to Register for MDConsult is available online.

Request an MDConsult User’s Guide from Library Services at :

Michele Matucheski at MMC Library (3-0340)
Margo Lambert at STE Library (8-2324)

Library Staff is also willing to give you a personalized tour of MDConsult.
Just give us a call. We’re here to help!

February is National Wise Health Consumer Month

In this era of information overload, it can be difficult for people to find health information they can trust.

The St. Elizabeth Hospital and Mercy Medical Center libraries offer materials on a broad range of health topics that staff, patients, and community members can check out. We also provide patient education information through online resources such as MDConsult, eMedicine, and Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database.

Please contact Michele at Mercy Medical Center (223-0342) or Margo at
St. Elizabeth Hospital (738-2324) if you, a loved one, or one of your patients needs help finding information or using the library resources that will help them to become wise health consumers.

The ABCs of Evaluation for "Healthy" Internet Searching

Most people don’t stop to think about the quality of the health information they find on the internet. With few rules and regulations, and no one in charge, how do you know if the health information you find on the internet is accurate?

Here are some things to consider :

Accuracy
o Does the site provide references to scientific literature?
o Popular press doesn’t count here.

Authority
o Is the information from a credible source?
o Check the About Us section
o Check the site’s domain
§ .org = not-for-profit agency
§ .edu = educational institution
§ .gov = government institution
§ .com = commercial
· Evaluate .com sites carefully
· Used by businesses to make money or promote a product
· They may contain some good information, but it may not be balanced or complete.

Bias
o Who pays for the site?
o Are ads / sponsored content clearly labeled?

Currency
o Are there dates on the material?
o Is it under 5 years old?

Coverage
o Does the information cover all aspects of the topic?
o Or does it leave out certain parts (ie only talking about drug treatments and not lifestyle approaches)?

A great place to look for health information on the internet is MedlinePlus.
From The National Library of Medicine, they’ve already done the quality checks for us. It has our best interests at heart.