The document provides guidance on how to effectively research health information from various sources such as books, journals, websites and more. It outlines criteria for evaluating the quality of health information, including accuracy, reliability, clarity, being current, comprehensive, educational and addressing diversity. Medical librarians are encouraged to select resources based on standards and review processes to ensure only high-quality health information is provided.

1. Research your Way to Good Health
Cara Helfner, MSLIS
Program Manager
The Michele and Howard Kessler
Health Education Library
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
75 Francis Street, Boston, MA 02115
(617) 732-8103 chelfner@partners.org
www.brighamandwomens.org/healtheducation

2. So many sources . . .
• Books
• Journals, magazines and newsletters
• Pamphlets and fact sheets
• Audiotapes and Videotapes
• Online and CD-ROM
• Television and radio

3. Where do I find health
information?
• Care providers
• Hospital and other libraries
• Stores and catalogs
• Friends and loved ones
• Within other sources

4. How do medical librarians
choose their resources?
• Standards and Guidelines - JCAHO, MLA,
Library Oversight Committees, Organizational
Health Education Programs
• Library Collection Development Policies
• Lists - Brandon-Hill (MLA), CAPHIS
• Book Reviews and Recommendations

5. How do I know it’s “good”
information?
The information should be:
• Accurate • Current
• Reliable • Readable
• Clear • Educational
• Comprehensive • Show Diversity

6. How do I know it’s “good”
information?
The information should be accurate:
• Truthful and honest
• Complete
• Factually accurate
• Grammatically correct and free from typographical errors
• Data and statistics need to be substantiated

7. How do I know it’s “good”
information?
The information should be reliable:
from reliable, believable, trustworthy, authoritative sources.
Examples:
• Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Faulkner Hospital
• American Cancer Society, American Heart Association
Be wary of materials published by companies primarily
involved in product sales!

8. How do I know it’s “good”
information?
The information should be clear:
• Text should be legible and consistent
• Short, simple paragraphs
• Concise section headings
• Illustrations should be easy to understand
• Illustrations relate to the text

9. How do I know it’s “good”
information?
The information should be
comprehensive:
• Topic area needs to be clearly identified
• Books should provide an in-depth picture of topic
• Books cover definitions, causes, symptoms and treatments.
• Main points of work should be stressed and easily apparent

10. How do I know it’s “good”
information?
The information should be current:
• Books published or updated within the last five years
• Reviewed by subject experts for currency
• Bibliographies and references current

11. How do I know it’s “good”
information?
The information should be readable:
• Books should be easy to read
• Medical and technical terms should be well-defined
• Material should be well-organized
• Layout and design should be appealing

12. How do I know it’s “good”
information?
The information should be educational:
• Recommendations from clinical and nursing leaders
• Learning objectives are identified
• Books should help individuals understand specific illnesses

13. How do I know it’s “good”
information?
The information should address diversity:
• Books are available in various languages and formats
• Other cultures are presented in positive ways
• Content should be free of stereotypes and cultural biases

14. An example of a “good”book
Numb Toes and Aching Soles
by John A. Senneff
• Written by a patient/researcher and recommended by the Mayo Clinic and
Mt. Sinai Medical Center, the book lists contributors from neurology
departments at a dozen major hospitals
• Unfamiliar terms, such as “receptors” are in boldface and clearly defined
• Scope of book covers types, symptoms, causes, testing, pain, medication,
medical therapies, alternative treatments, nutrients, experimental drugs,
special considerations and coping

15. Further Reading
Choosing Health Books as a Consumer
http://caphis.mlanet.org/resources/bookselect.html
By Lea K. Starr, B.Sc., M.L.S., Manager, Western Regional Operating Partner,
Canadian Health Network
Includes reputable publishers, features to look for in book selection, good sites
with book listings, books to avoid and classic titles.
Consumer Health Information Source Book
Edited by Alan M. Rees, Oryx Press, 2000, ISBN 1-57356-123-1 $64.95

16. Look it up!
http://magic.mgh.harvard.edu