August 10, 2007

AGD has New Dry Mouth Education Campaign

The Academy of General Dentistry has launched a new consumer health education campaign on dry mouth (xerostomia). This includes articles, posters, brochures, and faqs, all free and downloadable / printable from their web site. For more information, see:

AGD: New Dry Mouth Campaign: http://www.agd.org/public/OralHealth/drymouth/

Posted by pfa at 11:15 AM | Comments (0)

May 14, 2007

Craniofacial Summer Camps

This time of year, many parents are looking for summer activities for their schoolage children. What about those children with special needs who for one reason or another can't go to regular summer camps? Or what about the ever present question of, "How do I find more people like me?" at the childs level? As dentists, you may have patients who ask you for help with this type of question. Here is a great resource that collects information on summer camps for special needs children, and they even have a section specifically for children with craniofacial concerns.

BraveKids: Resources = Camps: Condition = Craniofacial: http://tinyurl.com/3774tq

Want to explore more on your own? Here is a web search to which you can add other specifications such as your location.

Google: ("summer camp" OR "summer program" OR "day camp" OR "teen camp" OR "kid camp" OR "children camp" OR "kids camp" OR "enrichment camp") (craniofacial OR "special needs" OR disabled OR disabilities) ~child

Posted by pfa at 11:14 AM | Comments (0)

March 17, 2007

Let's Face It, AboutFace USA, & SlideShare

Many thanks to Marita Inglehart for inviting us to speak as part of the Multicultural Affairs Committee series on disabilities and dentistry. The presentation slides are available on SlideShare.

Let's Face It Comes to Michigan: Lessons Learned about Web Sites for Persons with Facial Difference: http://www.slideshare.net/umhealthscienceslibraries/lets-face-it-comes-to-michigan-lessons-learned-about-web-sites-for-persons-with-facial-difference/

In SlideShare, there are other presentations about persons with facial difference and how to support them. Highlighted here are those from AboutFace USA, in particular a presentation to the UNLV School of Dentistry that includes information about clinician-patient communication with persons with facial difference.

AboutFace USA: http://www.aboutfaceusa.org/

SlideShare: AboutFace USA: http://www.slideshare.net/aboutfaceusa

SlideShare: AboutFace USA: AFUSA UNLV Presentation: http://www.slideshare.net/aboutfaceusa/afusa-unlv-presentation

Posted by pfa at 05:17 PM | Comments (0)

February 10, 2007

New Cochrane Reviews about Tobacco and Smoking Cessation

More information at the HSL blog posting on this topic.

http://mblog.lib.umich.edu/hsl/archives/2007/02/new_cochrane_re.html

Posted by pfa at 03:17 PM | Comments (0)

January 16, 2007

Recipes for Dental and Other Patients

There are many different ways in which food and cooking is important to dentists and their patients. A patient might have TMJ, problems either chewing or swallowing, sensitive teeth, be wearing braces, avoiding sugar, or have other concerns. There are even recipes for how to make your own toothpaste or mouthwash! Often recipes of interest to patients in one of these groups might be helpful for other patients as well.

The Dentistry Library has a number of cookbooks available for patients in the Consumer Health section of our Reference collection. You can find these books listed in MIRLYN by searching "Cookery" as a subject heading, or the textwords "Recipes" or "Cookbook", and then refine the search to just the Dentistry Library.

In addition to our books, here are a few websites of interest on this topic.


Cathy's EC Cafe (Esophageal Cancer): http://www.eccafe.org/cnt/index.html

Dr. William Trepp, Orthodontic Specialist: Soothing Recipes: http://www.orthodontics.org/recipe.htm

Eating to Win: http://website.lineone.net/~brittan/Food/

TMJ Friends Message Board: Life: Nutrition, Recipes, Eating Concerns: Random Soft or No Chew Recipes: http://www.tmjfriends.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-860.html

Zajaczkowa, Jadwiga. A selection of dental hygiene and mouthwash products from a variety of Medieval and Renaissance sources.
http://www.gallowglass.org/jadwiga/herbs/teeth.html


WANT MORE?

You can explore, look for more, or find books to buy in the following Google search.

Google Search: ("no chew" OR swallowing OR dysphagia OR tmj OR esophageal OR oesophageal) recipes

Posted by pfa at 03:57 PM | Comments (0)

December 24, 2006

Avian Influenza Resources

The Health Sciences Libraries (Dentistry, Taubman Medical, and Public Health) have partnered to provide the following collection of online resources about avian flu and pandemic response / preparedness.

Health Sciences Libraries: Guides: Avian Influenza Resources: http://www.lib.umich.edu/hsl/guides/avianflu.html

The links on the page above take you to sections within a collection of resources in del.icio.us -- a free bookmarking and productivity tool. The main sections we are highlighting for you are these:

- Major Avian Flu Portals
- Overviews of Avian Flu
- Disaster Planning
- Personal and Family Planning
- Local Michigan Information
- News and Travel Information
- Research

You can either go directly to one of those sections and browse the links available there, or you can browse the entire collection of over 40 recommended links. Each link includes a brief note describing why the resource is useful as well as terms (called "tags" in Del.icio.us) that you might think of as subject headings. The tags or subject headings describe the resource in a little more detail, and help you decide if you want to visit that site.

There is additional information on how to use Del.icio.us at their help page.

Del.icio.us: http://del.icio.us/

Del.icio.us: Help: http://del.icio.us/help/

Posted by pfa at 12:14 PM | Comments (0)

December 01, 2006

AIDS Day Posters

World AIDS Day is a time for awareness of how this disease has changed all of our lives, whether we know someone with AIDS, someone who died of AIDS or not.

Today's highlight is a collection of public health posters from the Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library from UCLA.

UCLA: Darling Biomedical Library: AIDS Posters: http://digital.library.ucla.edu/aidsposters/

Here are some other interesting resources from libraries about AIDS & HIV.

UCSF Library: Galen: AIDS History Project: http://www.library.ucsf.edu/collres/archives/ahp/

BUMC Medical Library: Boston AIDS Information Outreach Project: Finding HIV/AIDS Information on the Web Tutorial: http://med-libwww.bu.edu/library/tutorial/index.html

Posted by pfa at 11:48 AM | Comments (0)

November 02, 2006

The "White Smile" Diet

From the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, dietary suggestions for a more attractive smile.

American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry: First it was Atkins, then it was South Beach, now it’s the White Smile Diet: http://www.aacd.com/media/releases/pr2006_06_27.aspx

Posted by pfa at 03:38 PM | Comments (0)

October 31, 2006

New Pew Report: Health Information Searching Online

"Online Health Search 2006: Most internet users start at a search engine when looking for health information online. Very few check the source and date of the information they find."

"Fully three-quarters of health seekers say they check the source and date only sometimes, hardly ever, or never, which translates to about 85 million Americans gathering health advice online without consistently examining the quality indicators of the information they find."

Posted by pfa at 08:11 PM | Comments (0)

October 25, 2006

Bisphosphonates and Osteonecrosis of the Jaw

In support of yesterday's excellent and well attended presentation by Dr. Joseph Helman, we would like to offer the following selected resources on bisphosphonates and osteonecrosis of the jaw. Sections below include information for patients, for practitioners, and articles from the professional literature.

Please note that while links to articles and abstracts are provided as possible, to get access to the full article you may need to navigate to the article from a UM Library service. One way to do this would be to enter PubMed from a UM web page, log in if off campus, and then enter the PMID number. Go to the bottom of the resulting page, and click on the block-M.

For those who would like more information, custom searches in PubMed are provided.


* INFORMATION FOR PATIENTS

ADA: Oral Health Topics: Osteonecrosis of the Jaw: http://www.ada.org/public/topics/osteonecrosis.asp

AGD: Treatment drug may cause jaw bone to die: http://www.agd.org/media/2006/june/treatment.asp

NIAMS: Oral Health and Bone Disease: http://www.niams.nih.gov/bone/hi/oralhealth_bone.htm


* INFORMATION FOR PROFESSIONALS

ADA: A-Z Topics: Osteonecrosis of the Jaw: http://www.ada.org/prof/resources/topics/osteonecrosis.asp

ADA Council on Scientific Affairs. Expert Panel Recommendations: Dental Management of Patients on Oral Bisphosphonate Therapy. June 2006. [PDF, 159K]

Migliorati CA, Casiglia J, Epstein J, Jacobsen PL, Siegel MA, Woo SB. Managing the care of patients with bisphosphonate-associated osteonecrosis: an American Academy of Oral Medicine position paper. Abstract.
J Am Dent Assoc. 2005 Dec;136(12):1658-68. Review. Erratum in: J Am Dent Assoc. 2006 Jan;137(1):26.
PMID: 16383047

NIDCR: Oral Care Provider's Reference Guide for Oncology Patients: http://www.nidcr.nih.gov/HealthInformation/DiseasesAndConditions/CancerTreatmentAndOralHealth/Oral%20Care%20Providers%20Reference%20Guide%20for%20Oncology%20Patients.htm


* ARTICLES

Badros A, Weikel D, Salama A, Goloubeva O, Schneider A, Rapoport A, Fenton R, Gahres N, Sausville E, Ord R, Meiller T.
Osteonecrosis of the jaw in multiple myeloma patients: clinical features and risk factors. Abstract.
J Clin Oncol. 2006 Feb 20;24(6):945-52.
PMID: 16484704

Lacy MQ, Dispenzieri A, Gertz MA, Greipp PR, Gollbach KL, Hayman SR, Kumar S, Lust JA, Rajkumar SV, Russell SJ, Witzig TE, Zeldenrust SR, Dingli D, Bergsagel PL, Fonseca R, Reeder CB, Stewart AK, Roy V, Dalton RJ, Carr AB, Kademani D, Keller EE, Viozzi CF, Kyle RA.
Mayo clinic consensus statement for the use of bisphosphonates in multiple myeloma.
Mayo Clin Proc. 2006 Aug;81(8):1047-53. Review.
PMID: 16901028

Marx RE, Sawatari Y, Fortin M, Broumand V.
Bisphosphonate-induced exposed bone (osteonecrosis/osteopetrosis) of the jaws: risk factors, recognition, prevention, and treatment. Abstract.
J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2005 Nov;63(11):1567-75.
PMID: 16243172

Nase JB, Suzuki JB.
Osteonecrosis of the jaw and oral bisphosphonate treatment. Abstract.
J Am Dent Assoc. 2006 Aug;137(8):1115-9; quiz 1169-70.
PMID: 16873327

Ruggiero SL, Mehrotra B, Rosenberg TJ, Engroff SL.
Osteonecrosis of the jaws associated with the use of bisphosphonates: a review of 63 cases.Abstract.
J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2004 May;62(5):527-34.
PMID: 15122554

Scully C, Madrid C, Bagan J.
Dental endosseous implants in patients on bisphosphonate therapy. Abstract.
Implant Dent. 2006 Sep;15(3):212-8.
PMID: 16966893


* WANT MORE?

Pubmed Search: Bisphosphonates and Osteonecrosis of the Jaw

Pubmed Search (Free Full Text Only): Bisphosphonates and Osteonecrosis of the Jaw

Posted by pfa at 01:12 PM | Comments (0)

October 20, 2006

US Water Fluoridation Maps Available

New from the CDC, an interactive map of the United States that allows you to check local water fluoridation levels.

"My Water’s Fluoride allows consumers in currently participating states to learn the fluoridation status of their water system."

To use this map, click first on the state, then on the county, and lastly on the city. Many city entries will also include the option to view the operational reports for that jurisdiction.

CDC: My Water's Fluoride: http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/MWF/Index.asp

Posted by pfa at 08:27 AM | Comments (0)

September 28, 2006

Guidelines for Parents of Sedated Children

Earlier this week, local news in Chicago reported the story of a child who went for a visit to the dentist, and the sedation went wrong, badly wrong. The little girl first slipped into a coma, and died this morning. As a result of this, the news service posted an article and video describing for parents what they should do and know if their own child is being sedated.

"Dental Guide For Parents When Child Is Sedated: Questions Parents Should Ask Before Dental Procedures" Mary Ann Childers, Sep 25, 2006 5:21 pm US/Central. http://cbs2chicago.com/local/local_story_268182445.html

"No parent wants what happened to 5-year-old Diamond Brownridge to happen to their son or daughter. The young girl remains in a coma after being sedated during a dental procedure."

Posted by pfa at 02:32 PM | Comments (0)

July 20, 2006

New IOM Report on Medication Errors

Hot off the presses, the Institute of Medicine today released a report on "Preventing Medication Errors".

Preventing Medication Errors (Quality Chasm Series): http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11623.html

Key findings of the report are that a quarter of all medication errors are preventable, and that the best prevention is good clinician-patient communication and good intra-institutional communication (between the clinician, pharmacist and other members of the support team).

In an rare but welcome move, the FDA immediately released a statement of support for the report.

FDA Statement on Institute of Medicine's Report on Preventing Medication Errors: http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2006/NEW01414.html

The FDA statement outlines a series of resources and actions related to improvements in this area. As a significant part of this, they recommend access to reliable and understandable medication information for the health care consumer, recommending the following resource from the National Library of Medicine.

DailyMed: http://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/about.cfm

"This Web site provides health information providers and the public with a standard, comprehensive, up-to-date, look-up and download resource of medication content and labeling as found in medication package inserts."

Posted by pfa at 05:33 PM | Comments (0)

Genetic and Genomic Information from NLM and the Genetics Home Reference (GHR) (Omics Series, 9)

The United States government, in general, and the National Library of Medicine, in particular, have taken leading roles in providing information, tools, resources, and training for biomedical and life sciences researchers and clinicians, including omics researchers. Very few people make use of the full range of resources they provide. Today, we will survey a few of the broad omics resources available, and then spend a little more time on a specific resource that tends to have information for both dental researchers and clinicians.

This is probably a good time to again mention the forthcoming short course on campus about NCBI resources.

National Center for Biotechnology Information: Short Course, September 7,2006 (Hosted by the Program in Bioinformatics, Department of Human Genetics & Taubman Medical Library): http://www.hg.med.umich.edu/ncbi/

In this course, you will see overviews and demonstrations of how to use many of the databases listed below. NLM and NCBI provide an astonishing number of databases. From their main databases page, you can browse a list of many of their offerings in this area.

NLM: NCBI: Entrez: All Databases: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gquery/gquery.fcgi?itool=toolbar

Here are a few of the specific databases, just to give you an idea of what you might find.

3D Domains: domains from Entrez Structure: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=Domains

BLAST (Basic Local Alignment Search Tool finds regions of local similarity between sequences): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/BLAST/

Cancer Chromosomes: cytogenetic databases: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=CancerChromosomes

CDD: conserved protein domain database: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=cdd

Gene: gene-centered information: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=gene

Genome Project: genome project information: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=genomeprj

Genome: whole genome sequences: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=Genome

GENSAT: gene expression atlas of mouse central nervous system: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=gensat

GEO DataSets: experimental sets of GEO data: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=gds

GEO Profiles: expression and molecular abundance profiles: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=geo

HomoloGene: eukaryotic homology groups: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=homologene

Nucleotide: sequence database (GenBank): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=Nucleotide

OMIA: online Mendelian Inheritance in Animals: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=omia

OMIM: online Mendelian Inheritance in Man: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=OMIM

PopSet: population study data sets: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PopSet

Probe: sequence-specific reagents: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=probe

Protein: sequence database: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=Protein

PubChem BioAssay: bioactivity screens of chemical substances: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pcassay

PubChem Compound: unique small molecule chemical structures: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pccompound

PubChem Substance: deposited chemical substance records: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pcsubstance

SNP: single nucleotide polymorphism: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=snp

Structure: three-dimensional macromolecular structures: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=Structure

Taxonomy: organisms in GenBank: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=Taxonomy

UniGene: gene-oriented clusters of transcript sequences: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=unigene

UniSTS: markers and mapping data: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=unists

Another source they provide is the Human Genome. This resource contains an entirely different list of great tools and resources. I encourage you to explore the Human Genome more on your own.

Human Genome (an integrated, one-stop, genomic information infrastructure for biomedical researchers): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genome/guide/

Last, for today, but not least, is the Genetics Home Reference (GHR). The GHR serves as a bridge between the technical information for researchers and the consumer or general public. It includes information on the correspondence between specific genes and diseases, diagnostic signs/symptoms, an much more. Although the information is for consumers, it can still be fairly technical. It includes a handbook and glossary, which helps, and provides information at a level that can also be useful for the clinician. In addition, they include a list of resources about genetic conditions specifically for clinicians.

NLM: Genetics Home Reference: http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/

GHR: Genetics Resources for Clinicians and Health Professionals: http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/ghr/resource/clinicians

Among their newest topics on conditions, you'll find Dentinogenesis Imperfecta and Amelogenesis Imperfecta. Among their new pages on specific genes, you'll find amelogenin (amelogenesis imperfecta 1, X-linked), dentin sialophosphoprotein (DSPP), enamelin, and matrix metallopeptidase 20 (MMP20 or enamelysin). They have also recently added information on a number of specific genes that are associated with the Charcot Marie Tooth Disease. Here is a sampling of pages on dental-related conditions and genes.

CONDITIONS:

Condition: Achondrogenesis: http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=achondrogenesis

Condition: Amelogenesis Imperfecta: http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=amelogenesisimperfecta

Condition: Dentinogensis imperfecta: http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=dentinogenesisimperfecta

Condition: Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva: http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=fibrodysplasiaossificansprogressiva

Condition: Greig cephalopolysyndactyly syndrome: http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=greigcephalopolysyndactylysyndrome

Condition: Platyspondylic lethal skeletal dysplasia, Torrance type: http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=platyspondyliclethalskeletaldysplasiatorrancetype

Condition: Sotos syndrome: http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=sotossyndrome

GENES:

Gene: DNM2: dynamin 2: http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/gene=dnm2

Gene: MMP20: matrix metallopeptidase 20 (enamelysin): http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/gene=mmp20

Gene: SH3TC2: SH3 domain and tetratricopeptide repeats 2: http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/gene=sh3tc2

Gene: YARS: tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase: http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/gene=yars

Posted by pfa at 02:16 PM | Comments (0)

June 26, 2006

NIH on Pain and Pain Research

Findings from the NIH Pain Consortium's first symposium are now beginning to be made available to the general public. This month's consumer health newsletter from NIH (NewsInHealth) highlights the idea that a positive outlook can significantly help in pain management. Please see the links below for additional information about the Pain Consortium, the symposium (which is supposed to be made available as a webcast soon), and more.

NIH: NewsInHealth (June 2006): Ignore the Pain? Innovative Pain Management Ideas:
http://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2006/June/docs/01features_01.htm

NIH: Pain Consortium: http://painconsortium.nih.gov/

NIH Pain Consortium: First Annual Symposium, Advances in Pain Research, April 17-18, 2006: Highlights in Pain Research - Genetics, Neuronal & Glial Mechanisms, Imaging, Cognitive & Emotional Aspects, Headache, Cancer Pain, Novel Therapies, Junior Investigators:
http://conferences.masimax.com/painconsortium/agenda.cfm

NIH: Pain Consortium: NIH Pain Research: Pain Information Index: http://painconsortium.nih.gov/pain_index.html

NIH: Pain Consortium: Interactive Textbook of Pain and Symptom Research: http://painconsortium.nih.gov/symptomresearch/index.html

NIH: Pain Consortium: Pain Intensity Scales: http://painconsortium.nih.gov/pain_scales/index.html

Posted by pfa at 01:59 PM | Comments (0)

June 13, 2006

Medical Identity Theft

The World Privacy Forum has released a report on the problem of medical identity theft.

Medical Identity Theft: The Information Crime that Can Kill You (Released May 3, 2006), by Pam Dixon and Robert Gellman:
http://www.worldprivacyforum.org/medicalidentitytheft.html

With financial identity theft, you find that someone has stolen your identity to make use of your financial resources and credit. With medical identity theft, this may happen -- the thief may use your insurance or other resources, and you may also find that the identity thief has changed your medical records to include fictitious information. Examples included changing the bloodtype on record and adding psychiatric diagnoses.

Recommendations for personal protection include frequently requesting copies of your files, just as you should request copies of your credit report, and closely reviewing all communications from your insurance company. Practitioners need to be aware of this in order to question apparent inconsistencies between the record and the patient's reporting.

Posted by pfa at 11:47 AM | Comments (0)

May 24, 2006

Free Bilingual Children's Book from Crest

This press release announces a book by actress and former Miss Universe Dayanara Torres published with the partnership of Proctor and Gamble and endorsed by the Hispanic Dental Association.

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060523/cltu041.html?.v=51

Dayanara Torres Co-Authors Children's Book Exclusively for Crest Healthy Smiles Program: Bi-lingual Book Delivers Positive Oral Health Message and is Available To Consumers for Free for a Limited Time

"The book, written in English and Spanish, chronicles the experiences of a brother and sister as they take their first trip to the dentist. It will be released in limited quantity for free beginning May 23, 2006 through July 29th, just in time for summer reading. Consumers can order their free copy by calling toll-free 1-866-989-9968 or by logging onto www.cresthealthysmiles.com for details."

Posted by pfa at 06:52 AM | Comments (0)

May 23, 2006

Rollyo: Search Like an Expert

I have been playing with a new-to-me folksonomy tool. Rollyo stands for "roll your own search engine." The idea, as I understand it, is that an expert in any area quickly finds that they are going to the same sites over and over again. Rollyo allows you to collect a group of sites that are your favorites for a specific type of task, and then search them all at once. It limits you to 25 sites in a list.

Here are a few examples I've put together. The first one selected reputable consumer health information sources to search for information for dental patients. The second one searches vendors selling historic and out-of-print medical and dental books. The third one searches free fulltext books online for the word, phrase, or concept of your choosing. I use this to find curious quotes to enliven my professional presentations and publications.

Rollyo: pfa: Dental Consumer Health Search Engine: http://rollyo.com/pfa/dental_consumer_health/

Rollyo: pfa: Antiquarian Medical Books: http://rollyo.com/pfa/antiquarian_medical_books/

Rollyo: pfa: Do-It-Yourself Quotations from Original Sources: http://rollyo.com/pfa/diy_quotes_from_sources/

Just imagine what you could do! I promise you, I'll be doing more of these, and will share those relevant to the dental community.

Posted by pfa at 06:21 PM | Comments (0)

May 10, 2006

Patient Assistance Resources

Do you have a patient who needs extra help with consumer health information, or is looking for local financial resources to help individuals who need health services? Don't forget that UMHS offers the following fine services that provide this sort of information for individuals who are patients here at University of Michigan or are local to our community.

Cancer Patient Education Resource Center (PERC): http://www.cancer.med.umich.edu/learn/leares.htm

Health and Wellness Resource Center U-M Hospital: http://www.med.umich.edu/1toolbar/visinfo/hwrc.htm

Health Education Resource Center (HERC), East Ann Arbor Health Center: http://www.med.umich.edu/mfit/herc/

FRIENDS Depression Education and Resource Center (FDERC): http://www.med.umich.edu/depression/friends.htm

Turner Senior Resource Center: http://www.med.umich.edu/geriatrics/tsrc/

Women's Health Resource Center (WHRC): http://www.med.umich.edu/whp/whrc/index.htm

Posted by pfa at 11:42 AM | Comments (0)

May 09, 2006

Consumer Health Information: Kosmix and iBoogie and healthfinder

There are always a variety of Internet search engines, and som specifically on health. There is a new health Internet search engine that has some interesting features.

Kosmix: http://www.kosmix.com/

Kosmix focuses most searches towards health topics, and defaults to the health tab for your search. It does not search the complete Internet, and would not be a good choice for information about movie stars, for example. When you search a health topic in Kosmix, it takes the various results and sorts them into folders in a bar on the left side. The folders include such topics as "Written for Doctors", "Definitions," "Support Groups", "Overview", and much more. This can streamline a search, allowing you to zoom in quickly to the type and level of information you are seeking.

iBoogie: http://www.iboogie.com/

iBoogie is a broader Internet search engine, but has a similar interface, also using the tab-model to focus a search on a given area. Kosmix clusters results into predefined categories, but iBoogie comes up with categories based on the topic. Those topics can be useful suggestions to focus or broaden your search.

Still, when a patient wants health information, my favorite search engine is:

healthfinder: Consumer Health Information Search:
http://www.healthfinder.gov/search/

healthfinder's search focuses results just to government websites, and to 300 highly selected ones, excluding professional level information for results targeted just to consumers. This is a great way to find appropriate information without a lot of digging or sorting through results.

Posted by pfa at 09:11 PM | Comments (2)

April 24, 2006

Financial (and Related) Resources for Patients

General Information about Financial Resources for Health Treatment and Care

General Information about Financial Resources for Michigan Residents

See also our Guide to Online Drug Information Resources, which includes a section on Patient Assistance Programs and Compassionate Use.

Posted by pfa at 09:09 AM | Comments (0)