My Condition and Treatment
Contents
Patient
Guides
Health
Encyclopaedia
Women's, Men's and
Children's Health
Mental
Health
Rare Conditions and
Syndromes
Complementary
Therapy
Cosmetic
Treatments
Short Patient Guides to Illness/Disease
NHS Clinical Knowledge
Summaries Patient Information
Leaflets (PILs) are a source
of authoritative and evidence-based information on individual
disease and health related topics. Written by a GP, the leaflets
are designed to be easily understood by people who are not
healthcare professionals. The leaflets cover many of the conditions
seen in primary care; providing an overview of the condition,
advice on self-management, and information on treatment.
Further PILs can be
accessed on the
doctoronline website.
Health Encyclopaedia
The NHS Direct
Health
Encyclopaedia provides comprehensive
information on conditions/diseases, procedures, and health
services. It can be searched using the A-Z Alphabetical Topic List
or by entering a search term. Information on symptoms, causes,
diagnosis, treatment and prevention is attached to each
condition/disease topic.
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Women’s, Men’s and Children’s Health
Women’s Health
Wellbeing
is the fundraising arm of the Royal College of Obstetricians and
Gynaecologists and a national charity funding research into
obstetric and gynaecological health. Its website provides
information leaflets on a wide range of issues affecting women such
as infertility and the menopause.
The
Emma's
Diary website provides advice and information
about the progress of a pregnancy from the very first weeks to
birth. All the medical information on the site has been written by
GPs and approved by the Royal College of General Practitioners.
Your Pregnancy - an interactive tool
on the NHS Direct website - shows women how their baby is
developing and how they can keep healthy throughout every stage of
their pregnancy.
Men’s Health
The
A-Z of Male Health is a section of
malehealth.co.uk providing advice and information about most health
problems affecting men, from haemorrhoids to heart
disease. The website is run by the Men's Health Forum,
the UK's leading charity working to improve male health.
Children’s Health
The Institute of Child
Health (ICH) is a leading academic research institution for child
health with close links to Great Ormond Street Hospital for
Children (GOSH). Their joint website contains jargon free
paediatric
fact-sheets for families on a wide-range of
conditions, treatments and tests.
The
British National Formulary for
Children (BNFC) presents essential practical
information on prescribing, monitoring, supplying, and
administering medicines for childhood disorders.
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The Royal College of
Psychiatrists has been producing award-winning,
evidence-based
mental
health patient information for many years
now.
Mind is the leading mental
health charity in England and Wales, and also produces
mental
health fact-sheets on numerous topics. The
website of
SANE
is also an excellent source of information on mental illness for
patients and their families.
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Rare Conditions and Syndromes
Contact a Family -
an organisation supporting the parents of children born with a
serious disability or rare syndrome – maintains an Index of
Specific Conditions and Rare
Disorders which can be searched via
an A-Z index or by keyword.
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Complementary Therapy
Those with a particular
interest in
Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) may
like to visit the Complementary and
Alternative Medicine Specialist Library (CAM SL)
website, maintained by the National Library for Health (NLH).
This provide health professionals and patients with
access to the best available evidence in the field of CAM, with
evidence searchable both by type of therapy and
condition.
Information on the safety and effectiveness of herbal medicines can
also be found on the website of the
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory
Agency (MHRA) - the body responsible for
regulating herbal medicines.
In light of the growing
popularity of alternative medicine, the GPC has produced
guidance for GPs in relation to patient referral
to complementary therapies. The guidance focuses on issues around
referral procedures and liability.
The Prince of Wales’s Foundation for Integrated Health publishes a
patient guide to complementary
healthcare which examines the different therapies
available and gives instructions on finding properly trained and
qualified practitioners.
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Cosmetic Treatments
A dedicated Department of
Health website provides information for people
considering cosmetic surgery, including:
- Questions for people to ask themselves about their motivation
for cosmetic surgery.
- Expectations of the results of the procedure, and possible
alternative treatments.
- A cosmetic surgery checklist of questions to help people make
an informed decision.
- Information on how to check that those performing the treatment
have the right qualifications and experience.
- An A-Z list of all cosmetic procedures, including what the
treatment involves, and any risks involved.
- Information on how to complain about cosmetic surgery or
treatment.
The Healthcare
Commission has developed
information and advice for people considering cosmetic
surgery. It offers advice on the safety and
effectiveness of treatments and providers of cosmetic surgery, and
provides tips on choosing the right doctor or clinic and advice on
what to do if something goes wrong.
The Healthcare Commission
regulates the registration of private clinics and hospitals
providing cosmetic surgery in order to reduce the occurrence of
poor practice.
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