Google Scholar

• Watch this 1 minute video to learn to limit your search to only resources in the medical area.
• Look for links to the PdFs on the right of the search screen.

Internet Public Library – Health & Medical Science

• Continually updated list of major free medical websites on specialized topics such as:
  • Nutrition
  • Occupational Safety

Digital Commons Network – Medicine and Health Sciences

• The BEPress Digital Commons Network is an open source institutional repository which makes the scholarly output of several universities and institutions freely available
• Medicine and Health Sciences subject area contains over 32,000 works from 203 institutions
• A tutorial on using the Digital Commons Network can be found here 

Digital Public Library of America

• Brings together free resources from America’s archives libraries, archives, and museums
• Striving to contain the full breadth of human expression, this portal currently provide access to over 5,000,000 resources
• Use the bookshelf tab or the search bar to navigate to the search interface or find resources on a particular topic

Directory of Open Access Journals

• “The aim of the DOAJ is to increase the visibility and ease of use of open access scientific and scholarly journals, thereby promoting their increased usage and impact”
• Thousands of open access journals with full text articles
• Subjects covered include dentistry, medicine, nursing, public health and more.

Atlas of Ophthalmology

• Database of peer-reviewed and commented pictures
• A visual reference and educational supplement for ophthalmologists, general physicians, and medical students.

Health Education Assets Library (HEAL)

• A database of over 2,000 digital images, audio clips and video clips covering the areas of dermatology, ObGyn, neuroanatomy, neurology, pathology, biochemistry and cardiology.

Images from the History of Medicine

• Provides access to the nearly 60,000 images in the prints and photograph collection of the History of Medicine Division (HMD) of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM)
• Focuses on the social and historical aspects of medicine

Public Health Image Library (PHIL)

• Created by a Working Group and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), PHIL offers an organized, universal electronic gateway to CDC’s pictures
• Content is organized into hierarchical categories of people, places, and science and is presented as single images, image sets and multimedia files

The Visible Human Project

• Complete anatomically detailed, three-dimensional representation of the normal male and female human bodies, a project supported by the National Library of Medicine

The Whole Brain Atlas

• This atlas of the human brain includes still pictures and movies

Visuals Online

• The National Cancer Institute’s Visuals Online database contains images from the collection of the Communication Services Branch and Mass Media Office of the Office of Communications, National Cancer Institute
• Contents include general biomedical and science-related images, cancer-specific scientific and patient care-related images, and portraits of the director and staff at the National Cancer Institute
• All images are in the public domain

Census Bureau, United States

• Population, housing, income, and business statistics from the U.S.

Center for Disease Control – Statistics

• Government statistics on diseases

Commonwealth Fund Health Systems Statistics

• Charts, maps, and data related to health care quality, disparities, and health systems performance for the U.S.

County Health Rankings

• Health data for each county in the United States.

Finding and Using Health Statistics (NLM)

• A two part course covering the effective use of health statistics, their sources, and how to effectively interpret and use them

Injury Prevention & Control: Data & Statistics

• Information from 16 states provided by the CDC website.

Medical Expenditures Panel Survey (MEPS)

• MEPS is the most complete source of data on the cost and use of health care and health insurance coverage.

Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report

• Weekly publication of the CDC based on reports from state health departments

National Center for Health Statistics

• The nation’s principal health statistics agency, providing statistical information that will guide actions and policies to improve the health of the American people

National Center on Elder Abuse

• Statistics on elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation in the United States

National Vital Statistics System Mortality Data

• Cause-of-death information broken into geographic areas by the CDC

Statistical Abstracts

• Excellent source of government statistics from the US Census Bureau

World Health Organization Data

• Links to health and health-related epidemiological and statistical information available from the WHO

Government Agencies and Information Websites

Center for Disease Control and Prevention

• Provides access to two CDC online journals: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) and Emerging Infectious Diseases

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)

• Formerly the Health Care Financing Administration

Department of Health and Human Services

• The U.S. government’s principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services
• Includes information on health and social science research, Medicare, Medicaid, and financial assistance and services for low-income families

Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

• The FDA protects the public health by assuring the safety, efficacy, and security of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, medical devices, our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, and products that emit radiation

Healthy People 2030

• Full text of the government’s health promotion plan, with links to related sites.

National Academies

• The National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and National Research Council (NRC) cooperate to provide up-to-date information for the public about science, technology, and health policy issues within their mandates
• Includes free full-text of thousands of e-books published by the National Academies Press.

National Cancer Institute

• Overviews of cancer types, plus information on clinical trials and cancer topics.

National Health Information Center

• A health information referral service
• Puts health professionals and consumers who have health questions in touch with those organizations that are best able to provide answers

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

• Primary Federal agency for conducting and supporting medical research and is comprised of 27 institutes and centers

National Institute on Aging

• Leads a broad scientific effort to understand the nature of aging and to extend the healthy, active years of life

National Library of Medicine (NLM)

• The world’s largest biomedical library
• Meant to act as a supplemental resource after local, regional, and other national resources have been contacted.

Science.gov

• A gateway to authoritative selected science information provided by U.S. Government agencies including research and development result

World Health Organization

• The United Nations specialized agency for health.

Government Health Policy Websites

International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM)

• Full text of the government’s health promotion plan, with links to related site

Patient safety and quality: an evidence-based handbook for nurses

• Published by National Center for Biotechnology Information
• Geared towards nurses
• Created by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

Medical Ethics Websites

American Physical Therapy Association Code of Ethics (pdf)

• Sets forth principles for the ethical practice of physical therapy

Bioethics Institutes & Organizations

• A comprehensive collection of ethics-related web sites covering health care ethics institutes and organizations.

Bioethics Resources on the Web (National Institute of Health)

• Collage of annotated web links providing background information and various positions on issues in bioethics.

BMC Medical Ethics

• An open access journal publishing original peer-reviewed research articles in the ethics of medical research and practice

Medical Associations and Organizations

The Alzheimer’s Association

• Educational site for patients, family members, and health professionals.

American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology

• This searchable site has information and news for allergy sufferers and care providers
• Includes medications guides and a special area for children.

American Association of Nurse Assessment Coordinators

• A non-profit professional organization dedicated to supporting clinicians who are involved in the Resident Assessment Instrument/Minimum Data Set (RAI/MDS) process

American Cancer Society

• General information, resources, and support services for cancer patients and their families.

American Diabetes Association

• The nation’s leading nonprofit health organization providing diabetes research, information and advocacy

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

• The nation’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals
• Aims to promote optimal nutrition, health and well-being

American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA)

• The premier association of health information management professionals.

American Medical Association (AMA)

• The nation’s largest physician group
• Advocates on the issues related to health

American Medical Informatics Association

• Organization dedicated to the development and application of medical informatics in the support of patient care, teaching, research, and health care administration.

American Nurses Association

• Professional organization aimed at advancing the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice and promoting the economic and general welfare of nurses in the workplace

American Physical Therapy Association (APTA)

• A national professional organization fostering advancements in physical therapy practice, research, and education

Association for Psychological Science

• A nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of scientific psychology

Association of Operating Room Nurses (AORN Online)

• The professional organization of perioperative registered nurses whose mission is to support registered nurses in achieving optimal outcomes for patients undergoing operative and other invasive procedures

Autism Society of America

• FAQs about autism, with a large selection of on-line information packets on a variety of related subjects.

Epilepsy Foundation

• This nonprofit organization provides updates on research, legislation, and other news
• Use the well-organized Answer Place section to research specific topics in epilepsy.

National Cancer Institute

• Overviews of cancer types, plus information on clinical trials and cancer topics

National Multiple Sclerosis Society

• News, treatment information, and resources for patients and providers dealing with MS

National League for Nursing

• Supports excellence in nursing education that prepares the nursing workforce to meet the needs of diverse populations in an ever-changing healthcare environment

National Organization of Rare Disorders

• A unique federation of voluntary health organizations dedicated to helping people with rare “orphan” diseases and assisting the organizations that serve them

National Stroke Association

• National organization which strives to increase public awareness about stroke prevention, symptom recognition, treatment options and rehabilitation

RESNA (Rehabilitative Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America)

• RESNA promotes the adaptation and use of assistive technology by disabled people
• Includes a list of certified professionals able to assess technology needs and articles for educators and parents of special needs students.

American Hospital Association

• The AHA is a national organization representing hospitals, health care organizations, and patients

American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE)

• International professional organization of healthcare executives
• Publishes Healthcare Executive, and its journals, the Journal of Healthcare Management and Frontiers of Health Services Management

National Nurses United (Union)

• National Nurses United, with close to 160,000 members in every state, is the largest union and professional association of registered nurses in U.S. history