Consumer Health and Patient Education

The purpose of consumer health is to provide patients, families, and the general public with current, relevant, and accessible health information.

Patient education materials like handouts, websites, and apps can help patients make informed health care decisions.

MedlinePlus contains links to many useful health resources from the National Institutes of Health and other reputable health information organizations. Each health topic has its own webpage of linked resources.

For each health topic the resources are subdivided into six categories: Basics; Learn More; See, Play, and Learn; Research; Resources; and For You.

Basics gives an overview of the health topic with a brief summary, information about diagnosis, and information treatment.

Learn More covers specific topics in more detail and may connect to resources about related health topics.

See, Play, and Learn links to interactive resources in the forms of videos, games, and tutorials.

Research links to journal articles and information about clinical trials.

Resources gives links to connect you to experts.

For You gives links to information for specific demographic groups.

The Consumer Version of the Merck Manual provides information on health topics in an article form. The articles cover symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment for each health topic.

• Many of the articles have images, embedded videos, and links to related resources.
• The website features a sidebar which lets you easily navigate to different parts of the article.
• All of the linked resources are listed at the end of the article for easy access. There is also a list of all the drugs mentioned in the article which you can click on to get a pop-up window with more information.