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Information Rx
A joint project of the
ACP Foundation and the National Library of Medicine
Information Rx:
Providing physicians with the tools to refer patients to accurate and trustworthy health information on the internet
Sign up for free Information Rx materials
Information Rx is a collaborative effort with the National Library of Medicine, developed out of the need to make accurate internet health information available to patients. Research has indicated that there is a need for patients to be more involved in their health management and that the Internet can be a valuable resource to those attempting to obtain additional information.
MedlinePlus is a free and easy-to-use source of health information created and maintained by the National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health. MedlinePlus serves as an interactive tutorial that provides links to extensive information on over 750 health topics, including conditions, diseases and wellness issues, current news, research studies, clinical trials, and detailed information on thousands of prescription and over-the-counter medications. In addition, the website can be viewed in English and Spanish.
Increasingly, healthcare consumers are seeking health information on the Internet as a way to enhance their knowledge and increase their involvement in their health care decision-making process. Yet, there is inadequate control of the accuracy of information that patients may find on the Internet. Physicians spend valuable time during the physician-patient interaction explaining why certain Internet-researched information is inaccurate or inappropriate.
A 2003 report by Manhattan Research, LLC reports that 55% of physicians are recommending web sites to their patients. A second study indicated that, of the factors that increase the trust of health sites, the recommendation the physician ranks the highest.
What ACP physicians and patients are saying about the Information Rx Project:
"It made me feel better about myself and my condition, because it told me more about my illness than my doctor did…I can hardly wait to tell my husband. It helps when you know something about what’s wrong, even if it doesn’t get well or even get better – it just helps to know the truth."
- Patient in Georgia
"It is a very positive experience all the way around. I am pleased and proud to be participating in a formal project like this for doing something I have been doing already for 27 years...the most important item in healthcare is to have an educated patient."
- Peter Glusker, MD, FACP, Fort Bragg, CA
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