Researching Your Health
Session 3 - Using the Healthfinder.gov Site
Course Section
- Introduction
- Starting Your Research
- Senior Health
- Healthfinder.gov
- AARP Health Guide
- Medline Plus
- Conclusion
Use this site:
If you want fact sheets and articles on your condition from the news and from U.S. government and private health agencies.
Special features:
This site makes it easy to find a news announcement you read a while ago, but can’t quite remember. It also has a practical tool for checking drug interactions.
What you’ll find:
From the main page, click on “Just for You,” which organizes health topics and articles by gender, age, race and ethnicity, and role, such as caregiver. This is a good place to check for tips on how conditions and drug dosages can affect you differently, depending on your age, gender, or race.You can also go directly to the “Health Library.” Here, you have two main choices.
Do you want health news articles, fact sheets, and tips?
Look
down the left-hand column. Click on “Diseases &
Conditions.” Choose what you want to research from the
alphabetical list. You’ll find several recent consumer
articles, with links to health organizations that can help you.
Do you want basic details on a health or medical condition? Look at the right-hand column, called “Special Resources.” Click there on “Guide to Diseases, Conditions, & Injuries.” Using the alphabetical list, find what you want to research. This pulls up an easy-to-read article on your condition, with a list of medications commonly used to treat it.
To get details on a medication, go back to the Health Library Page. In the right-hand column, click on Prescription Drug Information. This takes you to a useful tool for checking drug interactions.
At the gray bar near the top, select “Check Interactions.” The whole page may take a couple of minutes to appear, but the wait is worth it. See the box on the left? It lists many different drugs, both over-the-counter and prescription. Select the ones you are taking.
Use the arrows to move all of your drugs over to the box on the right. After you click on Check Interactions below that box, you’ll get a clear summary of potential interactions. Print out the pages if you want, then call or visit your doctor to discuss what you’ve learned.
You can also research drugs through one of the next two sources. AARP’s Health Guide and the U.S. Government’s Medline Plus give many details about medications.
Hint: You may want to print this page of instructions before you begin your Practice Question to help you navigate this site.
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In Session 4 You'll be using the AARP Health Guide.
All material contained herein is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice or instruction. Consult your health care professional for advice relating to treatment of a medical problem or condition.
