MedlinePlus Tutorial for Librarians and Health Educators

Why MedlinePlus?

MedlinePlus Overview


Woman with cancer using computer in bed

(Image Source: iStock Photos, KatarzynaBialasiewicz©)

Consumers frequently struggle to determine if the health information they find online is reliable1. They can also be overwhelmed by the amount of information available2.

Recent studies have shown that cancer patients often struggle with which sources to trust3. In addition, patients with rare diseases who seek out new research about their disease are unsure of how to incorporate what they find into their everyday lives4.

MedlinePlus is designed to meet these needs.


Organization

Consumers commonly use the internet to answer questions about specific health problems, drugs or supplements, parts of the body and diagnostic procedures5. MedlinePlus is organized for consumers to easily search or browse in these areas.

Main Sections

  1. Health Topics
  2. Drugs & Supplements
  3. Genetics
  4. Medical Tests
MedlinePlus Homepage

MedlinePlus Homepage

Within each of these collections, you can search or browse for topics. Topic pages follow standardized templates with clear structure and navigation so users can quickly get to the information they need. You can also use the search box at any time to search the entire website. MedlinePlus also includes additional features beyond the four main sections.

Additional Features

  • Medical Encyclopedia
  • MedlinePlus en Español (Spanish language version)
  • Links to other resources from NLM

Additional Training

For additional skill building on critically analyzing online health information, view Evaluating Internet Health Information: A Tutorial from the National Library of Medicine.

1. Lee, K., Hoti, K., Hughes, J. D., & Emmerton, L. (2014). Dr Google and the consumer: A qualitative study exploring the navigational needs and online health information-seeking behaviors of consumers with chronic health conditions. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 16(12). doi:10.2196/jmir.3706

2. Fiksdal, A. S., Kumbamu, A., Jadhav, A. S., Cocos, C., Nelsen, L. A., Pathak, J., & McCormick, J. B. (2014). Evaluating the process of online health information searching: A qualitative approach to exploring consumer perspectives. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 16(10). doi:10.2196/jmir.3341

3. Dau, H., Saad El Din, K., McTaggart-Cowan, H., Loree, J. M., Gill, S., & De Vera, M. A. (2020). Health information seeking behaviors among individuals with young-onset and average-onset colorectal cancer: An international cross-sectional survey. Support Cancer Care, 28, 6011-6021. doi:10.1007/s00520-020-0544605

4. Katavic, S. S. (2019). Health information behaviour of rare disease patients: Seeking, finding, and sharing health information. Health Information and Libraries Journal, 36(4), 341-356. doi: 10.1111/hir.12261

5. Kilicoglu, H., Ben Abacha, A., Mrabet, Y., Shooshan, S. E., Rodriguez, L., Masterton, K., & Demner-Fushman, D. (2018). Semantic annotation of consumer health questions. BMC bioinformatics, 19(1), 34. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12859-018-2045-1

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