www.informationprescription.infoInformation sources: general
See also 'Information sources by condition'.
NHS Direct Health Encyclopaedia
NHS Direct is at the forefront of 24-hour health care - delivering telephone and e-health information services day and night direct to the public. NHS Direct provides information and advice about health, illness and health services, to enable patients to make decisions about their healthcare and that of their families.
All content on the NHS Direct website is now available in audio form, ensuring health information is readily available to the widest possible audience. Free downloadable software is needed to access the speech functionality. To download the software, click on the 'Accessibility' section of the NHS Direct website and follow the links.
NHS Choices - helping you find NHS services
Launched on the 19th June, NHS Choices is a new website from the Department
of
Health that aims to personalise healthcare and provide information that will
help patients to make meaningful choices about when and where to receive
their treatment. It can be found at www.nhs.uk,
and you may find it helpful to look at the kind of information and tools
available.
The DH team working on information prescriptions has been in close contact with the NHS Choices team throughout its development, although the two projects are not being run by the same people. NHS Choices is an important resource available directly to patients and carers which is expected to complement the role of information prescriptions dispensed by health and social care professionals in the future.
DirectGov - Benefits and financial advice
DirectGov brings together the widest range of public service information and services online. Produced by the Central Office of Information, DirectGov provides information from across UK government departments on topics ranging from travel safety and parental leave to special educational needs and local NHS services.
A one stop health information shop from The Health Foundation
This is a 5 year project to chart NHS progress and performance. There are charts galore, allowing searches by condition, cost effectiveness and such factors as capacity and access. It is based on public data but here you can avoid going round the houses.
Patient UK - Directory of websites
An extensive directory of UK websites on health, disease, and related topics. Browse by A-Z, or search using the integrated search solution provided.
Patient UK - Patient support organisations and self help groups
Details of UK patient support organisations, self help groups, health and disease information providers, benefits and financial advice etc. Each entry is cross referenced and details are checked annually. Browse by A-Z, by subject category, or search using the integrated search solution provided.
Quality and Outcomes Framework 2 (QOF2)
This came into effect in April 2006. Every GP is required to record the number of patients registered with them with the following conditions: asthma; atrial fibrillation; cancer; CHD; chronic kidney disease; COPD; dementia; depression; diabetes mellitus; epilepsy; heart failure; hypertension; hypothyriodism; learning disabilities; mental health; obesity; palliative care; smoking; stroke; and TIA.
This national website has been set up to provide more information about QOF2 and explains how to obtain local data.
Literature searches - from Oxleas
BNI database - 18 May 2007 [download PDF]
CINAHL database 1 - 18 May 2007 [download PDF]
CINAHL database 2 - 18 May 2007 [download PDF]
CINAHL database 3 - 18 May 2007 [download PDF]
DH database - 18 May 2007 [download PDF]
Quality assurance tools currently available - from Oxleas
Patient Information Forum (PIF)
PIF is an independent group united by a common purpose, the development, production, and dissemination of high-quality information for patients, carers, and their families. Their website contains a lot of useful resources.
The World Wide Web Consortium HTML valdiator (for website accessibility)
From Watchfire, previously known as Bobby (for website accessibility)
A comprehensive list of tools to help evaluate and repair the accessibility of a web site
The JUDGE project contains guidelines based on the views of health consumers and support groups, which cover aspects of accessibility, usability and reliability
Brief details of the BMA's appraisal process and criteria for printed materials and web sites.
Minervation's LIDA tool is one of the few validated instruments for assessing the accessibility, usability and reliability of health care web sites.
BIOME is a free catalogue of hand-selected and evaluated Internet resources for students, lecturers, researchers and practitioners in the Health and Life Sciences. The site includes evaluation criteria which focus mostly on usability and reliability of information
Discern handbook [download PDF]
The DISCERN Handbook has been developed to ensure that all DISCERN users are able to understand and apply the instrument effectively. The handbook is also a useful resource for education and training among professional and consumer groups on the issues of health information quality, shared decision-making and evidence-based consumer choice.