Information Where It is Needed
Posted by: Barbara Bibel
I just returned from the Medical Library Association Meeting in Washington, D.C. There were several very interesting sessions about issues related to electronic medical records (EMRs) /electronic health records (EHRs). These reside on secure Web sites and allow health care providers and patients to access the information. This is very useful in emergencies or when patients see several different health care professionals. It can prevent dangerous drug interactions and provide vital information at crucial times. One of the innovations in the works is called MedlinePlus Connect, which will tie the disease/condition codes from the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) from a patient’s record to the relevant information about that disease in MedlinePlus. This makes it easy for health care providers to give patients the facts that they need to understand their conditions and care for themselves. Since MedlinePlus includes drug information, they will be able to learn about their medications and how to take them correctly, too. It also means that a patient may go to his/her record and get the necessary information whenever necessary, even if he/she does not know how to search for it online or is unable to get to a library. This is an exciting new form of reference.
