Information about the U of M Bio-Medical Library

Information on library resources, services, and trainings.

Key point of entry to the library website including information on print and electronic resources, borrowing policies and library services and hours.

Ask a reference question via e-mail.

Library staff have recorded some of our popular workshops (like "Finding Electronic Full-Text: Tips and Tricks") that you can view at your convenience.

Learn how to get help with library questions, or use one of our guides or tutorials.

Fee-based research and delivery of articles for people not affiliated with the University of Minnesota.

Tips and Tutorials on Using and Evaluating Health Resources

Finding good health information takes practice. Use these sources to help.

Practical suggestions for evaluating health-related information.

Animated informational tour on evaluating health information on the web. It runs 16 minutes and requires a Flash plug-in.

This step-by-step tutorial will take you through a short training focusing on how to find and evaluate health information on the Internet.

A narrated animated tour of the main features of MedlinePlus. It runs about 8 minutes and requires a Flash plug-in.

Developed by the Medical Library Association to help you translate common "medspeak" terms and solve your Rx riddles. Three disease-specific brochures (diabetes, breast cancer, and heart disease) are also available in addition to the general brochure.

Information from MedlinePlus to help you understand and evaluate medical research that you hear about in the media.

Health News

News sources relevant to your health

Breaking news, medical/science news releases, and more.

Health news from the past 30-90 days, from Reuters Health Information and HealthDay. News can be viewed by date or topic, with links to related news and relevant MedlinePlus Health Topics pages.

A monthly newsletter bringing you practical health news and tips based on the latest National Institute of Health research.

General Health Information

Find general health and wellness information for men, women, seniors and children.

Commercial free, reliable free health information including health topics, drug information, health news, medical encyclopedia and dictionary, interactive tutorials and more.

MedlinePlus' collection of easy-to-read health information on a variety of topics/

Animated tutorials with sound that explain conditions or procedures.

Information from MedlinePlus about getting the most out of visits with your doctor or other health care professional.

PubMed is a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine that includes over 16 million citations from MEDLINE and other life science journals for biomedical articles back to the 1950s. PubMed includes links to full text articles and other related resources.

PubMed can be confusing, watch this tutorial to get a better understanding of how to use this resource.

Search ELM for magazine, newspaper, and journal articles, eBooks, and information from reference sources available to all Minnesota residents at no charge!

This database contains information about consumer health libraries around the US and the world.

Well-Connected is a library of reports on common diseases and wellness issues. Each report is an in-depth discussion of the latest information on treatments, risk factors, causes, diagnostic tests, and preventative measures.

Resource to help people manage their health with useful tools and up-to-date information on diseases and lifestyles.

Links to information about public health, health care and health statistics in Minnesota. Includes links to health alerts, directory of hospitals and nursing homes, birth and death certificates, health facility complaints, flu shot clinics, and more.

Information on diseases, conditions, and health alerts from the Minnesota Department of Health.

Health information from the Nemours Foundation, with sections geared to kids, teens, and parents.

Health information for older adults and their family members and friends. Includes audio and the ability to increase and decrease text size and screen contrast for easier readability.

Genetics Home Reference is the National Library of Medicine's web site for consumer information about genetic conditions and the genes or chromosomes responsible for those conditions.

In order to find the best possible evidence, it helps to understand the basic design of research studies; this guide will help you do this.

The Medical Library Association's top recommendations for useful health websites.

Health Information for Kids and Teens

Looking for health information specifically designed for kids and teens? Check out our subject guide for more information, with recommendations from librarians at the Health Sciences Libraries, University of Minnesota.

Dictionaries, Encyclopedias and Atlases

Find definitions and descriptions of health and disease related terms.

Acronyms and initialisms for global information and data resources in health, medical, and veterinary sciences.

Anatomy and medical illustrations from the American Medical Association

Directories

Find a health care professional

Produced by the University of Minnesota's Bio-Medical library, this guide gives links to several relevant resources.

Use this site to find either a specific doctor's contact information, or to find doctors who match geographic and specialty criteria.

Includes directories for physicians and other health professionals; and hospitals and other health facilities. Includes links to AMA Physician Select, AMA Hospital Select, ADA Member Directory, Substance Abuse Treatment Facility Locator, and more

A public service for individuals who want to locate a physician in Minnesota. The physician finder can be searched by physician's last name, clinic name, specialty, and more.

Drug Information

Information on prescription and over-the-counter medicine.

Reliable information on prescription and over-the-counter drugs plus supplements and herbals.

Website from the American Pharmacists Association, designed to bring you the latest information about how to work with your pharmacist to help you make the most of your medicines. Site includes information about pharmacists, your medicines, and your personal medication records, along with related health news.

This website can help you identify medications sold in the United States.

Free guidance for consumers on prescription drug prices

Medical Tests and Procedures

Information on diagnostic tests and medical procedures.

Designed to help you, as a patient or caregiver, better understand the many clinical lab tests that are part of routine care as well as diagnosis and treatment of a broad range of conditions and disease.

Personal and Family Health History

Find out more about how family history affects health.

A tool from the U.S. Surgeon General to make a personalized family health history report, to share with your family or health care providers. Online tool also available in Spanish; downloadable form also available in Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Polish, and French.

Advice from the trusted source of MedlinePlus on how to keep track of your personal health records.

Multicultural and Multilingual Resources

Information focused on specific cultural groups and/or written in other languages.

Electronic access to over 200 health education brochures and sound recordings in 24 different languages, including Cambodian, Hmong, Somali, Russian, Vietnamese and Spanish.

Spanish version of MedlinePlus, providing commercial free, reliable, free health information including health topics, drug information, health news, medical encyclopedia and dictionary, interactive tutorials, and more.

A collaborative initiative to improve health education for limited English proficiency patients. Languages include Hmong, Somali Vietnamese, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, and more.

Easy to understand health information in varied formats and multiple languages, including Spanish, Vietnamese, Somali, Hmong, and more. Health topics covered include asthma, diabetes, nutrition, smoking, women's health, and more.

Links to websites related to multicultural health concerns for African American, Latino American, Native American, and Asian American/Pacific Islander health.

An information portal to issues affecting the health and well-being of American Indians.

This website is designed to increase public awareness of the health concerns of Asian Americans

MedlinePlus health information relevant to African Americans.

Health information relevant to the Hmong community in both Hmong and English.

Alternative and Complementary Medicine

Information resources on alternative medicine procedures and treatments.

NCCAM is the division of the National Institute of Health concerned with alternative medicine. This website provides professional and consumer information related to alternative and complementary therapies.

Developed by the Center for Spirituality and Healing at the University of Minnesota, this website provides useful information on complementary therapies.

Find information on complementary and alternative therapies and medicines.

Environmental Health & Toxicology

Learn more about environmental toxins and their affect on your health

Health and safety information household products

Information on hazardous chemicals and occupational diseases.

Interactive guide to toxic chemicals and environmental health risks. Also available in Spanish at http://toxtown.nlm.nih.gov/espanol

Arthritis

Commerical free, reliable free arthritis information including drug information, news, definitions, interactive tutorials and more.

Health information for older adults and their family members and friends. Includes audio and the ability to increase and decrease text size and screen contrast for easier readability.

Diabetes

Commercial free, reliable diabetes information including drug information, news, definitions, interactive tutorials and more.

Information on the disease, prevention, treatment, complications and statistics.

Developed by the Medical Library Association to help the public translate common diabetes-related "medspeak" terms.

Cancer

Commercial free, reliable cancer information including drug information, news, definitions, interactive tutorials and more.

Reliable information for practitioners and consumers regarding types of cancer, treatment, clinical trials and more.

Developed by the Medical Library Association to help you translate common breast cancer-related "medspeak" terms.

Heart Disease

Commerical free, reliable free arthritis information including drug information, news, definitions, interactive tutorials and more.

This is the national homepage for the American Heart Association, where information on daily living, specific diseases, fundraising, research, advocacy and more can be found.

HIV/AIDS

Commerical free, reliable free arthritis information including drug information, news, definitions, interactive tutorials and more.

This Centers for Disease Control website covers in-depth information on the disease including prevention, treatment and information for specific groups of people.

Influenza

Produced by the University of Minnesota's Bio-Medical library, this guide gives links to several relevant resources.

This Centers for Disease Control website covers in-depth information on the disease including prevention, treatment and information for specific groups of people.

Mental Health

Commercial free, reliable free mental health information including drug information, news, definitions, interactive tutorials and more.

Find information on mental health and mental illness, specific disorders and mental health treatments.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) National Mental Health Information Center provides information about various mental health topics.

Alzheimer's

Commercial free, reliable Alzheimer's information including drug information, news, definitions, interactive tutorials and more.

Information on symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and research. This page allows the ability to change text size, contrast and provides audio for all information provided.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Information on the illness, signs and symptoms, treatment and getting help.

This website is an ducational resource on PTSD and traumatic stress, for veterans and also for mental health care providers, researchers and the general public.

Women's Health

Commercial free, reliable free mental health information including drug information, news, definitions, interactive tutorials and more.

A collaborative project between the Minnesota Department of Health and the University of Minnesota Deborah E. Powell Center for Women’s Health. The site is created to provide reliable health resources for women in Minnesota with an emphasis on prevention and well-being.

For More Information

Looking for more in-depth consumer health information? The Medical Library Association's Consumer and Patient Health Information Section (CAPHIS) provides a list of the top 100 websites you can trust.