When you go to a doctor, dentist, or other
healthcare provider and ask "why do I feel badly?" you begin a process
of informing yourself about health issues. You might have questions
about your medical problem, its diagnosis, the drugs you've been prescribed,
or a surgery you've been advised to undergo. You might feel that
you need to know more about a doctor's training or their past published
work pertaining to your particular problem. If your problem is severe
and long lasting, you may want to learn how to obtain Social Security Disability.
This page provides links to WPAHS and Internet
resources that address frequently asked questions about healthcare and
its providers. As you read, we remind you to discuss your conclusions
with an appropriately qualified medical professional before you try to
diagnose or treat yourself. Just as the old saying tells us about
lawyers, it may be that "only a fool has himself for a physician."
For each of the questions of this FAQ (Frequently
Asked Questions) file, the first person to ask is your personal healthcare
provider. We understand, however, that plhysicians and their office
staffs are often extremely busy. For general research
on health care questions, you may look through the links provided
below. For diseases and disorders specifically supported by this
site, additional information is available via links in the
site
index at the bottom of the page..
1. I've been told I have disease
or disorder "XYZ". Where can I learn more about my problem?
To investigate care available in the West
Penn Allegheny Health System, you may begin at
 WPAHS
homepage -- http://www.wpahs.org/wpahs.htm.
An especially
helpful resource is "All
Health" a search service at at Allegheny General Hospital, affiliated
with WPAHS.
For a list
of links to Internet sites of excellence, please visit the extensive
subject index at the WPAHS Health
Science Library.
To supplement information found online at
WPAHS or that your provider offers in person, there are many medical
sites on the Internet. These resources can help you prepare to participate
in decisions concerning your treatment and care. The following are among
the most widely used and respected sites.
Healthfinder -- http://www.healthfinder.gov/ -- "a free gateway to
reliable consumer health and human services information developed by the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services."
Health
on the Net Foundation --http://www.hon.ch/ -- This resource will
identify Internet healthcare sites that adher to a high standard of attribution
and disclosure of funding, standards of personal privacy and publication
professionalism. The HONCODE logo is on each of our pages.
Lycos
Health -- http://webmd.lycos.com/index -- Like other Web Directories,
Lycos offers an alphabetical list of health conditions, as well as search
window for keyword search.
Medline
Plus -- http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ -- Consumer information
on hundreds of diseases and disorders. A service of the National
Library of Medicine at NIH.
PubMed
-- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PubMed/ -- A service of the National Medical
Library at National Institutes of Health, PubMed provides keyword search
for over eight million abstracts on articles published in medical journals.
This resource produces abstracts, not full text articles. Each is referenced
to a medical journal.
MEDLINE
Journals With Links to Publisher Web Sites --
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PubMed/fulltext.html
-- not all of the medical journals indexed by PubMed or Internet Grateful
Med are online. However, this link provides a list journals that
are both online and included in the PubMed index.
Web Doctor
-- http://www.gretmar.com/webdoctor/journals.html -- Online
Medical Journals. These journals provide full text articles.
Yahoo
Health Directory -- http://dir.yahoo.com/Health/ -- This very
wide-ranging directory of health related resources provides over 10,000
links in 50+ categories.
2. Where can I get help to understand
medical terms?
Dictionary.com
-- a very detailed on line dictionary that includes medical terms.
Margaret
England's guide to medical
terminology -- http://www3.bc.sympatico.ca/me/patientsguide/medterms.htm
-- also provides links to medical glossaries.
IntelliHealth
--http://www.intelihealth.com/ -- Major health information site.
Select "medical dictionary" from top menu, to look up words in the Merriam
Webster Medical Dictionary on line. Definitions tend to be short
though helpful as a starting point.
Online
Medical Dictionary -- http://www.graylab.ac.uk/omd -- Over 65,000
definitions of medical terms. Searchable.
3. Where can I learn more about my
medications?
Clinical
Pharmacology 2000 -- http://cp.gsm.com/ -- a service of Gold
Standard Multimedia. This site provides an extensive drug database,
patient education materials, and clinical reports. A useful feature
is that search on a disorder by name calls up a list of drugs used to treat
the disorder. Registration is free, and your browser must be set
to accept cookies.
Drug
InfoNet -- http://www.druginfonet.com/index.html -- Extensive drug
database, patient information, hospitals on line (list), health organizations.
Searchable"ask the doctor" service with patient questions and answers by
healthcare professionals.
IntelliHealth
--http://www.intelihealth.com/ -- Major health information site.
Select "drug search" from top menu. Site also includes extensive articles
on specific health subjects.
Internet
Health Index -- http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/rxlist.cgi -- Rxlist by Health
Central
4. My medication doesn't seem to
be helping me. Where can I find out about other drugs, new drug trials
or medical research for my problem?
Note: be especially careful
to consult first with your care provider if you are having difficulty with
present medications.
Agency
for Health Care Research and Quality -- http://www.ahcpr.gov/consumer/
--"AHRQ, a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is
the lead agency charged with supporting research designed to improve the
quality of healthcare, reduce its cost, improve patient safety, decrease
medical errors, and broaden access to essential sevices."
Clinical
Trials.gov -- http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct/gui/c/r -- a service
of the National Institutes of Health through its National Medical Library.
Supports keyword search as well as browsing by condition or by sponsor.
Mulimedia
Medical Reference Library -- http://med-library.com/medlibrary/
-- Select the "Clinical Trials" category. The site also provides
an extensive medical reference library.
5. Where can I find a doctor?
How can I learn about his or her qualifications? Can I ask questions
of a doctor over the Internet?
Dr. Jannetta may be reached locally
in Pittsburgh, PA, at (412) 359-6200, or toll free at (877) 284-2000.
The physician directory for all departments at West Penn may be found at
http://www.allhealth.edu/DIR/Directory_Dept.html.
The directory provides a summary of the education, medical practice, and
treatment interests of each physician.
To learn
about other physicians not at WPAHS, start at AMA
Physician Select --http://www.ama-assn.org/aps/amahg.htm. The
site provides "professional information on virtually every licensed
physician in the United States and its possessions, including more than
690,000 doctors of medicine (MD) and doctors of osteopathy or osteopathic
medicine (DO)." You may also search for physicians by specialty and
location.
Many very fine
physicians do not choose to write for publication or to teach at a hospital.
However, you can learn a lot about people who are more prominent
among their colleagues. Begin by searching PubMed
-- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PubMed/ -- for the doctor's last name, first
and middle initials in the "author" field. A review of abstracts
can indicate how widely known the physican may be.
If the physician name is not too common,
or if you know where the doctor has worked, you may also look for the name
at any of a large number of Internet search engines. An introduction
to searching the net can be found at "Quick
Search the Internet" -- http://vos.ucsb.edu/shuttle/lawhern.html --
. Several
other
online courses on searching are also available at http://vos.ucsb.edu/shuttle/general.html#web-search
The Western
Pennsylvania Hospital's "Ask the Doctor" series, which airs regularly
on KDKA-TV noon news, provides timely information about a variety
of health topics. The series' host, Thomas P. Campbell, MD, is chair of
the Department of Emergency Medicine at The Western Pennsylvania Hospital.
There are
also many "Ask a Doctor" services at other places on the Internet.
One listing of such services is offered via Erols.Com
at http://www.looksmart.com/eus1/eus53940/eus264146/r?l&ibd& .
Please be aware that response times to inquiries vary from source to source.
6. I want to talk with other people who
are dealing with the same problem I am. Where can I find a
support group? Are there any bulletin boards that concentrate
on this problem?
IntelliHealth
--http://www.intelihealth.com/ -- Major health information site.
Page down to "Communities -- Discussion Boards"
Neurology Web Forums at Massachusetts General Hospital -- http://neuro-mancer.mgh.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/Ultimate.cgi
-- over 170 patient-to-patient bulletin-boards for exchange of concerns
and information.
7. I am in financial difficulty.
Can I get help to pay for my medications or care?
If you have healthcare insurance, you ask
the office staff of any WPAHS care provider for further information on
how to apply for benefits or appropriately challenge a refusal by your
insurance plan to pay for medically needed services. If you do not
have insurance and are unable to pay for treatment, the following
link may provide a starting point for getting help.
Cost
Containment Research Institute -- http://institute-dc.org/
-- Provides four important and inexpensive booklets by mail or on line,
which address:
-
Free and Low Cost Prescription Drugs
-
Free and Low Cost Outpatient Care
-
Free and Low Cost Hospital Care
-
Free and Low Cost Nursing Care
The pamphlets provide addresses and phone
numbers throughout the United States. However, patients should be
aware that qualification for many of these programs depends on your meeting
very strict income criteria. The site also provides a link to a little-known
Federal program called
The
Hill-Burton Free Care Program
-- http://www.hrsa.dhhs.gov/osp/dfcr/about/aboutdiv.htm
-- The US Department of Health and Human Services notes that this
program in two recent years "has assured an estimated $700 million
in free or reduced charge care to approximately 2 million people..." who
cannot pay for their care.
8. I believe am disabled.
How do I apply to the Social Security Administration for disability?
If they reject my claim, where can I get help to appeal?
DisAbility.gov
-- http://www.disability.gov/ -- A government sponsored site with information
on many aspects of disability. For information on applying for SSI
or SSDI, select "Income Support" from the main menu.
National
Organization of Social Security Claimants' Representatives -- http://www.nosscr.org/describe.html
-- This is an organization of lawyers who specialize in supporting
the appeal process for denials of disability. Select the Table of Contents
link to review resources of the site.
Reference Note: There are
more than 20,000 health and medical sites on the Internet. No single
site has a monopoly on "the best" resources. However, several of
the links above are found in a compilation by Margaret England, at http://www3.bc.sympatico.ca/me/patientsguide/ -- The
Patients' Guide to Healthcare Information on the Internet."
, http://www3.bc.sympatico.ca/me/patientsguide/]. Her site is worth
browsing for your self-education.
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our Site Policies, please return to our Homepage.
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principles
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On the Net
Foundation
DISCLAIMER:
Every effort has been made by the author(s)
to provide accurate, up-to-date information. However, the medical knowledge
base is dynamic and errors can occur. By using the information contained
herein, the viewer willingly assumes all risks in connection with such
use. Neither the author nor WPAHS shall be held responsible
for errors, omissions in information herein nor liable for any special,
consequential, or exemplary damages resulting, in whole or in part, from
any viewer(s)' use of or reliance upon, this material.
CLINICAL DISCLAIMER:
Clinical information is provided for educational
purposes and not as a medical or professional service. Person(s) who are
not medical professionals should have clinical information reviewed and
interpreted or applied only by the appropriate health professional(s). |
