Do you refer patients to websites for helpful information?

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  1. Do you refer patients to websites for helpful information?

    • 95
      Yes
    • 44
      No

139 members have participated

Specializes in CCU, Geriatrics, Critical Care, Tele.

Do you refer patients to websites for helpful information?

If you do refer patients, please feel free to share which websites you refer them to. Thanks!

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Specializes in CCU, Geriatrics, Critical Care, Tele.

My favorite website to refer friends and family and patients to is:

Medline Plus (U.S. National Library of Medicine):

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/

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I like the following:

http://www.diabetes.org (American Diabetes Assoc.)

http://www.americanheart.org (American Heart Assoc)

http://www.lungusa.org (American Lung Assoc)

http://www.cdc.gov (Centers for Disease Control)

:rolleyes:

Tricia

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:snowman1: hi and happy holidays.........has anyone heard of kyphoplasty and the long term results. would love to hear... thanks

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Specializes in Emergency Nursing.

This is an interesting thread, and I was suprised by the number of those referring patients to websites. I don't think I would refer any of my patients to websites. I think it would take away the desire to see a PCP. If I thought I was able to diagnose myself through a website by looking at the symptoms, and seeing that there was treatment (that you didn't need to obtain from an MD), then I wouldn't go. Any thoughts??

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Specializes in Clinical Risk Management.

I work in a call center providing nurse advice and telephone triage. We have any number of folks who need information that (a) they want to look at for themselves or (b) is not in our database (& therefore not printable). We help folks with all sorts of questions, everything from assistance in obtaining medications to flu vaccine information.

Some popular choices of late have included:

http://www.cdc.gov (gee, I've memorized this one!)

http://www.needymeds.com

http://www.lalecheleague.org/index.html

http://www.healthfinder.gov/

http://www.diabetes.org/

http://www.americanheart.org/

Interesting work, let me tell you!

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Specializes in Geriatrics/Oncology/Psych/College Health.

Since most of my work is with college students and they live on the internet, I have a selection of websites I refer to for various conditions.

I am VERY careful to advise them that not all websites are the same, and there is a lot of bad/inaccurate info out there.

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I am afraid to refer patients to a website. There is so much non-truth on the website that I am afraid my patients would come across it. Heck, after I have been on the website I think I have numerous health problems. LOL. :chuckle

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Specializes in Operating Room.

Referring to websites for more information can be a good thing, if you can trust the site! For example, http://www.pkdcure.org is good for PKD, and maybe your hospital has information on its website that could be good too! :)

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Specializes in Anesthesia.

http://www.gaspasser.com/

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Do you refer patients to websites for helpful information?

If you do refer patients, please feel free to share which websites you refer them to. Thanks!

Dr. Rich (Richard Fogoros) MD has some wonderful resources for patients with heart disease. He is an Electrophysiologist (arrythmia specialist).

http://heartdisease.about.com/

Another good website is Andrew Weil's. http://www.drweil.com. Dr. Weil is an MD at the University of Arizona and an expert on Integrative Medicine. If you want to know how a herbal works or the research there is on a particular herbal or medicine you can lookk it up on his site.

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This is an interesting thread, and I was suprised by the number of those referring patients to websites. I don't think I would refer any of my patients to websites. I think it would take away the desire to see a PCP. If I thought I was able to diagnose myself through a website by looking at the symptoms, and seeing that there was treatment (that you didn't need to obtain from an MD), then I wouldn't go. Any thoughts??

I do not refer patients to a website so that they may bypass a physician or so they may diagnosis themselves. Certainly, it is a good idea to give them a specific website--one you have checked out. I offer some websites to patients as a means to access more information. Many people will already look at websites and come in with questions. Referrring them to a reputable website will allow them to get to more accurate information. I see it as another way to do patient education. Not for every patient; need to be selective about it.

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