Consumer Use of Informatics Flashcards
Professional Competencies
o Informatics
o Case Management
o Health Care Policy
o Cultural Sensitivity
o Disaster Preparedness
Study of Nursing
o Sciences
o Psychology
o Social Services
o Patient Education
o Ethics
This site is a handy entry point for searching
the many valuable resources at the National
Library of Medicine
It provides a global search function for
Pubmed, Pubmed Central, and Medline Plus,
all of which are discussed below
NLM Gateway
federal agency both conducts and sponsors
research on healthcare quality, safety, and
cost-effectiveness.
provides information for practitioners on such
areas as disaster preparedness, quality and
patient safety, datasets, and research
findings.
Its “Consumers and Patients” links provide
information on specific conditions, health
insurance plans, prescriptions, health, and
wellness. Some consumer information is
available in Spanish.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
(AHRQ)
one of the National Institutes of Health, this
organization’s mission is to support research
in nursing in clinical and community settings
through grants and other funding programs. It
provides information on its own funding
initiatives, including diversity programs and
resources, links to nursing organizations for
various specialties, and publications from
national conferences and meetings.
National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)
a free “digital archive of life sciences journal
literature,” the site offers access to the full text
of more than 160 high-quality, open-access
life sciences journals from various publishers.
(literature or research use)
Pubmed Central
- the CDC’s mission is to monitor public health,
put forth prevention initiatives, investigate
health problems, and promote healthy
behaviors. - Its Web site provides information on specific
health and safety topics, a public health image
library, state and national data sets on health
and disease. - Its A-to-Z index, it is a convenient way to find
statistical and other information on specific
conditions
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention
- this consumer health information site is
maintained by the National Health Information
Center of the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services. - hand-selected directory of the health-related
Web sites of more than 1,500 organizations—
government, nonprofit, and educational. - Also available in Spanish.
Healthfinder
- a consumer health resource that brings
together information from various government
agencies, including the National Library of
Medicine, the National Institutes for Health,
and others. - provides simple but accurate health-related
information for the general public. - Its medical encyclopedia, drug and herbal
supplement information, current health news,
and superior interactive tutorials.
MedlinePlus
- another directory of consumer health
information, this site has a simple design, and
is organized by conditions, body systems, type
of patient, etc. - provides links to MedlinePlus and to specific
institutes within NIH.
National Institutes of Health—Health Information
(NIH)
this resource publishes more than 140 open
access journals covering all areas of biology
and medicine. Most of its publications are
freely available to the public, although some
require a paid subscription. Included are
journals on nutrition, public and international
health, and BMC nursing, specifically for
nurses
BioMed Central
this well-organized collection of evaluated,
noncommercial resources is a collaborative
project of health sciences libraries at more
than 20 leading academic medical centers in
the Midwest. Easy to use, it offers basic and
guided searching or browsing by categories
from AIDS and HIV to Women’s Health. Each
category is further divided into subcategories
of annotated links. For example, under
“Nursing” are Academic Institutions,
Associations, Career Resources, Databases,
Discussion Groups, Electronic Journals, and
Grants and Funding. Additional special topics
links are offered for each category; in
“Nursing,” these are Clinical Resources and
Reference Resources
HealthWeb
- Users can choose “Diseases and Conditions,”
“Drugs and Supplements,” “Treatment
Decisions,” “Healthy Living,” “Ask a
Specialist,” and “Health Tools.” - The medical information is high quality and
comprehensive, but the “Tools” section sets
this resource apart. - Online calculators (including BMI, calorie,
heart disease risk), self-assessments
(including depression, prostate, stress,
obesity), a symptom checker, and quizzes.
Mayo Clinic: Tools for Healthier Lives
- free, peer-reviewed, international journal
addressing topics affecting nursing practice,
research, education, and the wider health care
sector. Both Medline and CINAHL index the
journal. - Presents timely information required by
nurses and other healthcare professionals to
provide current and informed patient care, to
be socially responsive healthcare
professionals, and to meet professional
development needs. - Was first published in June 1996, making it the
first totally electronic journal in nursing, and
one of the few sustained totally electronic
nursing journals.
Online Journal of Issues in Nursing (OJIN)
- PLoS is an initiative by scientists and doctors
to publish quality, peer-reviewed literature
and make it freely available to the public and
other researchers. - Publishes journals in biology, medicine,
clinical trials, and genetics. PLoS Medicine
publishes articles on public health and
international health issues as well as clinical
research
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
- an excellent source of global health
information, including statistics and countryby-country health overviews. - This site is well indexed and easy to navigate.
Search WHOLIS to find full text WHO health
information.
World Health Organization (WHO)
- provides information and support to family
members, caregivers, and health
professionals on Alzheimer’s disease. - updated daily and includes news, resources
and information (such as causes, warning
signs, diagnosis, treatments, stages, brain
tour, myths, statistics, and related disorders). - There are fact sheets and a diversity toolbox
(information aimed at specific ethnic groups). - Also included are a useful glossary, chat and
other online forums, a clinical trials index,
funded studies (by state), papers and
presentations, research theories, and much
more. - Keyword searchable (and there is a useful site
map) and information for caregivers is also
available in Spanish.
Alzheimer’s Association
- San Francisco School of Medicine gives
comprehensive, up-to-date information on
HIV/AIDS treatment, prevention, and policy at
this site.
HIV InSite: Gateway to AIDS Knowledge
- University of Pennsylvania cancer specialists
launched this site in 1994 to “help cancer
patients, families, health care professionals
and the general public get accurate cancerrelated information at no charge.” - Updated daily and offers information from
basic to in-depth in English and Spanish on
specific types of cancer, updates on cancer
treatment, and news about research
advances.
Oncolink
- provides current health-related news, links to
information about public health advocacy,
articles of concern to public health nurses,
general links on health and nursing, links to
images, ask-an-expert sites, and a discussion
forum on public health nursing. - A good all-purpose resource for nurses, with
an emphasis on public health.
Public Health Nursing Section of the American
Public Health Association
- Represents American registered nurses (RNs).
- Provides information on current issues in
nursing (workplace rights, patient safety, and
ethics) and a sophisticated career center with
a searchable jobs database, space for posting
résumés, and advice for jobseekers. - Some content is limited to members only, but
there is plenty of quality free information.
American Nurses Association (ANA)
- “A federation of National Nurses ‘Associations
(NNAs), representing nurses in more than 128
countries,” that focuses on quality in nursing
internationally and global health policy.
International Council of Nurses
- the National Institute for Nursing Research,
described earlier, offers an excellent list of
links to scores of organizations representing
nursing specialties and issues in nursing.
Links to nursing organizations at the National
Institute of Nursing Research
- this nonprofit membership organization is
comprised of State Boards of Nursing from the
United States and its territories. - It is also the body that develops and
administers the National Council Licensure
Examination
National Council of State Boards of Nursing
- A membership organization whose mission is
to advance “excellence in nursing education”
and prepare the workforce to “meet the needs
of a diverse population in an ever-changing
healthcare environment.” - Provides continuing education for its
members, information on careers in nursing,
and an “eCareer Center,” where jobseekers
and post a résumé or search listings. - Provides recent political and health news that
affects nurses. It also provides grants and
funding for research in nursing education.
National League for Nursing (NLN)
- Offers information and links to American
nurses’ associations representing major U.S.
ethnic groups, including Asian
American/Pacific Islander (AAPINA), Alaska
Native American (NANAINA), Hispanic
(NAHN), Black (NBNA), and Philippines
(PNAA).
National Coalition of Ethnic and Minority Nurse
Associations (NCEMNA)
- The organization for LPNs, vocational nurses
and nursing students, fosters competence
through continuing education and
professionalism.- Information on scholarships, links to state
affiliates and an online discussion forum are
all available here
National Federation of Licensed Practical Nurses
(NFLPN)
ontains information
regarding nursing industry including
Nurse Companies, Nursing Review
Centers, Nursing Schools, Care Givers,
and Nursing articles.
Nurse Directory
propose a model
that emphasizes the inclusion of information
science as essential in the undergraduate
curriculum.
Travis and Brennan (1998)
proposed the Nursing
Informatics Education Model (NIEM). In NIEM,
the domains of computer science, information
science and nursing science are integrated
throughout the curriculum in a progressive
leveling to ensure the development of nursing
informatics competencies
Riley and Saba (1996)
proposed an informatics model in
graduate informatics that has an
interpretation of data, information, data and
knowledge that is complex and non-linear
Carty (2000)
suggested that nursing
informatics has a specific nursing focus, but
there are acknowledged areas of
interdisciplinary and collaborative foci that
need to be explored and studied
Turley (1996)
offers resources and information about
medical ethics. One especially helpful
resource for nursing students is their “Virtual
Mentor, an interactive, Web-based forum for
analysis and discussion of ethical and
professional issues.”
American Medical Association
the Virtual Health Care Team Web site is
sponsored by the School of Health Professions
and the School of Medicine at University of
Missouri. Among other resources, it offers four
“interdisciplinary geriatric assessment” case
studies. The approach, as explained authors,
is an integrated team approach in which “team
members actively coordinate care and
services across disciplines in a process
resembling problem-based learning.”
Geriatric Assessment-Case Studies
easy to navigate, the user begins by choosing
among ten systems: skeletal, digestive,
muscular, lymphatic, endocrine, nervous,
cardiovascular, male or female reproductive,
and urinary. Graphics are interactive and users
can view animations of the system, tutorials,
and descriptions. Two caveats: users must
have a java-enabled browser, and there is no
search capability within the site.
Human Anatomy Online
this is surely a unique Internet resource for
medical and nursing students. As its name
suggests, it is a multimedia tutorial featuring a virtual stethoscope (Real Player needed) to
assess both respiratory and cardiovascular
conditions.
McGill University Virtual Stethoscope
created by the University of Florida Medical
program, these guides are thorough and clear.
The exams offered are: Vital Signs, Back and
Extremity, Chest and Lung, Cardiology, Head
and Neck, Eye, Abdominal, Breast, Pelvic,
Neurologic, and Mental Status.
Physical Exam Study Guides
created by nurses for nurses and students,
this site offers good resource links, but the
highlight is its “Careplan Corner,” with
predefined nursing care plans under three
categories:
RN Central
information provided for each drug includes
the description, clinical pharmacology,
indications and dosage, side effects and drug
interactions, warnings and precautions, drug
over dosage, contraindications, and patient
information. Words in the articles and
descriptions that may need to be defined for
the layperson or student are hyperlinked to
Taber’s online medical dictionary.
RxList
one of the Fathers of
Medical Informatics, founded the Department
of Medical Informatics at the University of Utah
in 1968, and the American Medical Informatics
Association (AMIA) has an award named after
him on application of informatics to medicine.
Homer R. Warner,
a growing number of commercial
vendors began to market practice
management and electronic medical records
systems.
1970s
the US Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS) formed the Office of the
National Coordinator for Health Information
Technology (ONCHIT), headed by David J.
Brailer, M.D., Ph.D.
2004
plays a
fundamental role in the European Union’s
strategy. Work on this initiative involves a
collaborative approach among several parts of
the Commission services.
The European eHealth Action Plan
