As a nurse practitioner, you have many tools for helping your patients receive the medical information they need. Very often, after receiving a diagnosis, patients have difficulty thinking of all their questions right away. Having websites you can refer patients to can help them get the answers they seek quickly and privately, in their own homes.
Referring your patients to these websites also frees up your time to work with more patients, since patients are more self-sufficient when it comes to getting their questions answered.
As a nurse practitioner, there will also be times when you’ll need answers too, particularly when new diseases are found, when outbreaks are happening or when there are new medical developments that you’ll need to sue with your patients.
We’ve compiled a list of ten websites that offer practical and reliable healthcare information. Some of these sites are designed mostly for patients who want to check out what their symptoms might mean, ask a question or learn more about a recent diagnosis. Others are designed more to help healthcare professionals learn more about illnesses and conditions they might be treating, and to help them stay abreast on developments in the medical field. We think these ten websites are ones you’ll use again and again.
- Medical Questions: This site has a great library of health questions by topic. They also have a place where you can submit your own questions, if the one you want to ask hasn’t been answered already.
- Just Answer: Just answer allows you to ask your medical questions right on the homepage, and get an answer from a doctor or nurse.
- Web MD: This is likely the most popular website for understanding health issues. You can search based on symptoms or a diagnosis, or you can ask your own questions of the experts on the site. This is a great site to refer your patients to after they’ve been diagnosed with a new illness.
- Questions on Health: This is also a great site for getting answers about your symptoms, or about a recent diagnosis.
- Mayo Clinic: This is a great site for both health professionals and for patients. You can get information on where to refer a patient, or patients can find out more about their own symptoms and diagnoses.
- Women’s Health: This question and answer page from the US government answers the most frequently asked women’s health questions.
- Family Doctor: This is a great website for patients to get medical questions answered or learn more about an illness. It’s written in plain, easy to understand language and covers pretty much every health topic you can imagine.
- Women’s Health Questions: This site is devoted to the health problems that women face, from acne to problems with conception to sexual health. It’s a great place to learn more about the most common women’s health issues.
- Medicine Net: This site offers information on all major health issues. You’ll even find a dictionary of medical terms and a section on pet health on this site. This site was modeled after Web MD, and offers an excellent alternative for patients.
- Medscape: Medscape is designed for use by physicians and nurses. It provides updated medical information on the hottest topics in the industry. You can read the articles to keep abreast, or search for detailed information on specific illnesses.
These sites are ones we’re certain you’ll use over and over again, both on your own, and with your patients. They offer reliable and timely information. However, they are all also quick to remind patients that reviewing symptoms via a website is no substitute for getting timely medical care.
You’ll find these sites a great way to stay up to date yourself. By taking a quick review of the sites on a regular basis, you can find out new developments without taking a lot of your time. Then, you can obtain additional resources on the developments that are most important to your practice and your patients.
The Internet has provided many resources for healthcare professionals. These sites are a great example of how the Internet can work with us to improve the care we provide our patients.
