Learning Resources: Practical Nursing Resources: Internet Resources

Professional Organizations

Statistics

National Center for Health Statistics
Provides US public health statistics including diseases, pregnancies, births, aging, and mortality.
America's Health Rankings
Annually measures, analyzes and reports national data and trends.
State Health Facts
Provides free, up-to-date, and easy-to-use health data for all 50 states on more than 700 health topics.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
A home to research centers that specialize in major areas of health care research such as quality improvement and patient safety, outcomes and effectiveness of care, clinical practice and technology assessment, and health care organization and delivery systems.
American Heart & Stroke Association Statistics
A valuable resource for researchers, clinicians, the public and others who seek the best national data available on disease morbidity, mortality and risks; quality of care; medical procedures and operations; and costs associated with the management of these diseases.

Evaluating Web Sites

How can you tell if the website you are using is a reliable source? Use the information below to help you decide.

Accuracy: Can the information given be verified by other sources? Are there spelling or other obvious errors that indicate less than scrupulous standards of publication?

Authority: Who is the author of the information? What are this person's qualifications for writing on this subject? Is the Web site sponsored by a reputable organization?

Objectivity: What are the aims and goals of the author? Is the material biased or presented to persuade the reader to adopt the writer's point of view? If the site is sponsored by a particular organization, are the goals and views of that organization presented clearly?

Currency: How up-to-date is the material presented? Is this important? Are the publication date or dates of subsequent updates easily determined?

Coverage: To what depth are the issues explored? If some aspects of the subject are not discussed is the reader told? These standards should be used by the researcher only as a guide to the reliability of the information presented.

For more information, visit the sites below:

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Government Organizations & Agencies

Center for Disease Control and Prevention The primary Federal agency for conducting and supporting public health activities in the United States.
Healthy People Healthy People 2020 provides science-based, 10-year national goals and objectives for improving the health of all Americans.
National Institutes of Health The nation’s medical research agency, making important discoveries that improve health and save lives.
National Institute of Nursing Research Dedicated to improving the health and health care of Americans through the funding of nursing research and research training.
National Library of Medicine The world’s largest biomedical library, NLM maintains and makes available a vast print collection, and produces electronic information resources on a wide range of topics.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration The Consumer Protection Agency of the U.S. Government which monitors medical devices, foods, drugs, biologics, veterinary medicine, and toxicological research.

General Health Websites

Healthfinder
Healthfinder.gov has resources on a wide range of health topics selected from over 1,600 government and non-profit organizations to bring you the best, most reliable health information on the Internet.
MEDLINEplus
Produced by the National Library of Medicine, MEDLINEplus brings you information about diseases, conditions, and wellness issues in language you can understand. MedlinePlus offers reliable, up-to-date health information, anytime, anywhere, for free.
PubMed Health
PubMed Health specializes in reviews of clinical effectiveness research, with easy-to-read summaries for consumers as well as full technical reports.
Familydoctor.org
Information from the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP).
New England Journal of Medicine
Mayo Clinic
Health education for patients and for the general public.
Kaiser Health News
Nonprofit news service covering health care policy and politics.
Rural Health Information Hub
"The Rural Health Information Hub, formerly the Rural Assistance Center, is funded by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy to be a national clearinghouse on rural health issues. We are committed to supporting healthcare and population health in rural communities."