1. MEDLINEPLUS
AN ONLINE MEDICAL
ENCYCLOPEDIA
WWW.NLM.NIH.GOV/MEDLINEPLUS/ENCYCLOPEDIA.HTML

2. MEDLINEPLUS IS THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF HEALTH’S
WEBSITE FOR PATIENTS, THEIR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS. IT IS
PRODUCED BY THE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE.
The information provided covers
• Diseases and conditions
• Wellness issues
• Up-to-date health information
You can find information regarding
• Latest treatments
• Drugs and supplements
• Links to research about your topic and
• Information about clinical trials.

3. USING MEDLINEPLUS
Open your browser and type
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/encyclopedia.html
You should see the page below.

4. IF THAT DOESN’T WORK, TRY
THIS:
Go to http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/
And enter “encyclopedia” in the search bar.

5. The encyclopedia will be the first link on the
search results page.

6. NOW THAT WE ARE
HERE, LET’S GET SOME
INFORMATION ON FLU
SHOTS
Here you have the option to
browse alphabetically by subject.
Let’s click on the letter “F” and
see where that takes us.

7. WHOA, NELLY.
That is a long list of topics that
start with “F”.
If you scroll down, you will see
“Flu”.
Click that.

8. As you can see,
there’s a lot of
information
about the flu.
But what about
the flu shot?
PSST! Over
here!
There’s this
box called
“Read More”
And in it,
there is a link
to “Influenza
Vaccine”

9. WE FOUND OUR
INFORMATION!
But man, it took a long
time.
Let’s explore a quicker way
to navigate this
encyclopedia.

10. WHAT IF WE USE THE
SEARCH BAR?
Type in “Flu Shot” and let’s see
where that takes us.

11. THERE IS A LOT OF
INFORMATION HERE!
You can refine your search by
type or keyword.
On the right hand side, there are
a list of links that deal with the flu
shot. It looks like what you would
get from a Google search.
Let’s try something else….

12. LET’S LOOK AT THE
FRONT PAGE OF THE
ENCYCLOPEDIA.
In case you forgot, you can find it here:
www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/encyclope
dia.html
See the green bars labeled
Health Topics, Drugs &
Supplements and Videos &
Cool Tools ?
Click on Health Topics.

13. “HEALTH TOPICS” IS AN EASIER WAY
TO EXPLORE THE SITE AND GET HEALTH-RELATED ANSWERS
You can search by
• Body location,
• Disorders & conditions,
• Diagnosis & therapy,
• Demographic group,
Or
• Health & Wellness.
There’s also an A-Z
search option.

14. “DRUGS AND SUPPLEMENTS” GIVES YOU INFORMATION
ABOUT DRUGS, VITAMINS, AND HERBAL SUPPLEMENTS
This page also has an A-Z search
option, but it is for brand name
medicines. (e.g. “Advil” or “Tylenol”)
Check out the “Related Topics”
box. It contains links to information
organized by what the drug is
designed to treat.

15. “VIDEOS & COOL TOOLS” HAS INFORMATIONAL VIDEOS,
TUTORIALS, AND GAMES. THERE ARE ALSO HEALTH-CHECK
TOOLS.
On the right-hand side there are
additional tools that may help you
navigate your own health care
experience with more confidence.
•
•
•
•
Understanding Medical Words
Evaluating Health Information
Director’s Comments Podcast
NIH Senior Health Videos

16. FIND INFORMATION ABOUT CLINICAL TRIALS
Type “clinical trials” into the
search bar.

17. There’s a lot of info to sift
through so you have
options to refine your
search by type or by
keyword.
There’s also a “search help”
link on the right side of the
page.

18. LOOK AT THE BOTTOM
OF THE PAGE.
There you can find a variety of ways to get
your information.
•
Mobile version: take the encyclopedia
with you to your next doctor’s
appointment
•
Email updates: you can set your profile
to receive new information on your
topic of choice
•
Subscribe to RSS: you can opt for
general topic feeds or healthcondition-specific
•
Follow MedlinePlus on Twitter and get
the latest info and news in medicine

19. JUST LIKE IT SAYS ON
THE WEB PAGE:
The information in this presentation is not
diagnosis or treatment of any medical
condition.
A licensed physician should be consulted
for diagnosis and treatment of any
medical condition.

20. STILL HAVE
QUESTIONS?
No worries. There’s a Frequently
Asked Questions link you can
check out.
Or
You can email me at
decakara.my.dom.edu