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Librarian Lucy Thomas Joined by Internet
Expert and Nephrologist Co-authors in Creating First Consumer
Guide for Health Information Seekers
SEBASTOPOL, CA -- With managed care's incentivizing doctors to
move patients quickly through the healthcare system, increasingly
patients and their families have to rely upon their skills as
researchers to garner the information necessary to understand
their illnesses or conditions. Lucy Thomas, a director of the
Reeves Medical Library, Internet research expert Nancy Oster, and
nephrologist Darol Joseff, MD, joined forces to write Making
Informed Medical Decisions: Where to Look and How to Use What
You Find, a 364-page book that has been published by
Patient-Centered Guides. World-renowned
breast cancer activist, Dr. Susan Love, wrote the book's
foreword.
For family researchers, Making Informed Medical Decisions
provides invaluable advice on undertaking effective search
strategies, weighing relative risks and other statistics,
evaluating sources, reading and understanding journal articles,
and researching for loved ones. Appendix A, "Patient
Questionnaire," is designed to help the patient, the research
librarian, and friend or family member offering research
assistance identify research goals and guidelines.
The book also includes an extensive list of resources,
including health organizations, websites, information on finding
clinical trials, and a 16-page glossary.
The three authors bring different perspectives and strengths to
the book. Darol Joseff, a physician, sees medicine through the
eyes of a direct provider in an era of major changes in the
healthcare system. Nancy Oster, a medical writer and founder of
a breast health resource center, sees medical information from
the perspective of a patient advocate. Lucy Thomas, a medical
librarian, sees medicine from the point of view of an information
professional supporting both providers and consumers.
Making Informed Medical Decisions: Where to Look and How to Use
What You Find
By Nancy Oster, Lucy Thomas & Darol Joseff, M.D.
$17.95, 364 pages, paperback
ISBN 1-56592-459-2
PUBLICATION DATE: July 2000
About Patient-Centered Guides
Patient empowerment is at the core of Patient-Centered Guides.
We believe that people are empowered when they have the
knowledge and skills to partner with their doctor or
healthcare provider to get the best medical care possible.
We publish books that contain clear, concise, easy to understand
information about the medical, practical and emotional aspects of
health issues. Our authors are experts in specific
conditions and diseases and are the driving forces behind building
strong and networked communities of patients, families and caregivers.
In addition to our books, we publish information
on the web.
Our site is an extension of our mission
to empower individuals to become informed health-conscious consumers.
Patient-Centered Guides is a division of O'Reilly & Associates,
Inc. O'Reilly is recognized worldwide for its technical books
that fill a void and provide value to people who are experiencing
information pain. O'Reilly publishes books that make a difference
in people's lives.
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