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"BEST HEALTH RESOURCES ON THE WEB" by Dr. Harlan Weinberg
A Groundbreaking Guide to Reliable Medical Internet Sites by the Director of Intensive Care at Northern Westchester Hospital
Dr. Harlan Weinberg, a pulmonologist and Medical Director of the Intensive Care Unit at Northern Westchester Hospital in Mt. Kisco, NY, was seeking a resource for his patients and health professionals that would guide them to the best medical websites. He came up empty, so, for three and one-half years, Dr. Weinberg painstakingly went through roughly 20,000 medical websites and found approximately 1,000, or 5 percent, that met his standards. They are for the most part under the auspices of academic, government, and medical organizations.
The result is Dr. Weinberg's Guide to the Best Health Resources on the Web (Harper Collins, 2008, $14.95) It is a straightforward resource of reliable, non-commercial online sites that offer up-to-date medical information. The soft cover book is organized by disease or condition, and covers nearly 100 afflictions from AIDS/HIV to wound care. There are also chapters on Spanish-language sites, and non-clinical subjects like Medicare, end-of-life care, nutrition, alternative medicine, and health care policies.
For instance, someone wanting information on weight loss would be directed to 11 sites, including one from the National Library of Medicine (www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/weightcontrol.html) and also to the Mayo Clinic (www.mayoclinic.com/health/obesity/DS00314) A breast cancer patient would locate valuable information at 15 sites, including the National Cancer Institute's Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool www.cancer.gov/bcrisktool. Information about heart disease is available at Cardiology Medscape (www.medscape.com/cardiology) and 32 other sites.
Dr. Weinberg stresses that the most valuable medical advantage is a good relationship between a patient and a doctor. However, he believes that in this day and age of extensive electronic resources, patients and their families have an obligation to arm themselves with the best information available. It is estimated that between 50-70 percent of people turn to the Internet to seek medical information and too often, sites are filled with misinformation and sales pitches. Dr. Weinberg's Guide to the Best Health Resources on the Web leads both the general public and medical professionals directly to the most reliable sources of valuable information.
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