Basic Medical Sources: Print and Internet Resources
Mosby's Medical, Nursing, and Allied Health Dictionary defines medicine as ".the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease and the maintenance of good health. treating disease without surgery." This guide describes current, authoritative medical sources that are available in the McIntyre Library or through the Internet.
This document contains sections on:
- Medical Research in a Non-Medical Library
- Basic Medical Sources
- Articles
- Searching the Online Catalog
- For Further Assistance
Research strategy can be defined as "an ordered plan designed to find resources appropriate to a particular topic."
- Define the topic and determine accurate terminology. See Medical Dictionaries and Encyclopediasunder Basic Medical Sources.
- Get the most current, authoritative overview of the topic. See Basic Clinical Sourcesunder Basic Medical Sources.
- Look for additional current information. See headings under Basic Medical Sources.
Basic Medical Sources
Medical Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
Stedman's Medical Dictionary(Ref) R121 .S81990
Mosby's Medical, Nursing, and Allied Health Dictionary(Ref) R121 .M89 1998
Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary(Ref) R121 .T18 1997
Encyclopedia & Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, & Allied Health. (Ref) R121 .M651992
Merriam-Webster Medical Dictionary
Basic Clinical Sources
Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment.
(Ref) RC71 .A14
Published annually & written by medical specialists, Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatmentis the best source for current general diagnosis, treatment and care information. It provides concise, readable and authoritative discussions of conditions, syndromes and diseases. Organized by organ system with an index for specific terms, it is a good source for related topics such as disease prevention, lab procedures and common test ranges, nutrition, as well as biochemical, pharmaceutical, and pathophysiological aspects of disease. Although intended for internists, general practitioners, nursing and allied health personnel as the "first stop" for basic medical information, Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatmentis an excellent source for users seeking reliable information and journal references on disease diagnosis or treatment.
The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy.
(Ref) RC55 .M4and http://www.merck.com/pubs/mmanual/
A medical classic, first published in 1899, and designed to aid in medication selection, the Merck Manualhas grown to almost 3000 pages, and covers all but the most obscure diseases (excluding surgery), providing clinical information on diagnosis and treatment. Organized by organ system, medical specialty, or etiology (for infectious diseases and some other disorders). Also covers procedures for medical history taking, physical exams, pharmacology, symptoms and related topics. Includes lab "normal values", dosage calculations, weight conversions. Completely revised for each edition to include new topics, such as sports medicine, anabolic steroid abuse, etc. Written by "expert" medical specialist experts.
The Merck Manual of Geriatrics, The Merck Manual of Medical Information-Home Editionand The Merck Index also are available on the Internet.
See http://www.merck.com/pubs/
Current Surgical Diagnosis & Treatment.
(Ref) RD 35 .D77
Current Surgical Diagnosis & Treatment, a ready reference for diseases managed by surgeons; includes diseased description, diagnosis and treatment, current information and authoritative journal citations; special articles, such as legal medicine, laboratory values.
Sources for other medical specialties (eye, ear, nose and throat, pediatrics; psychiatry; obstetrics, etc.) can be found in hospital and medical libraries, or borrowed via interlibrary loan. Ask at the reference desk.
Health Policy
The Oxford Medical Companion.
(Ref) RC 41 .O84
An encyclopedia of health issues; includes people, policy, methods, law and ethics.
The Medical Outcomes & Guidelines Sourcebook.
(Ref) RA395.A3 M435
Contains medical outcomes and regional health care project results as well as a bibliography of clinical practice guidelines.
Statistics
Statistical Abstract of the United States.
(Ref desk ) HA202 .A38; U S Gov Doc. C 3.134:and http://www.census.gov/stat_abstract/
Other Reference Sources
Clinician's Handbook of Preventive Services. (Ref RA427.2 .C5751994)
Encyclopedia of Psychology(Ref BF31 .E521994)
Encyclopedia of Human Biology.(Ref QP11 .E53)
Health & Medical Year Book.(Ref RC81 .A1 H43)
Physicians' Desk Reference for Nonprescription Drugs.(Ref Desk RS250 .P52)
Physicians' desk reference: PDR.(Ref Desk RS75 .P49)
Articles
Look for article references in Basic Clinical Sources.
Article Medical Indexes and Databases
Academic Search Elite
MEDLINE (EBSCOHost)
MEDLINE (National Library of Medicine – PubMed) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PubMed/
Health Source: Consumer Edition
Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition
Health Source Plus
Search by subject, or by one of the keyword options in the Voyageronline catalog.
- Ask a librarian to help formulate a search
- Consult the quick guide Introducing Voyager, McIntyre Library's Online Catalog
For Further Assistance
For assistance or advice on searching for your topic in any of these databases, stop at the reference desk, send an email query to library.reference@uwec.edu or call 715-836-3858.
