Top 10 Online Medical Resources For The Patients Of The Future

There are over 1 billion health-related searches on Google every single day, according to a report. This was about 7% of all searches on the platform before, and no one will be surprised when this number keeps on growing. After all, the internet is likely the first source to turn to with your health-related questions.

But which hits are relevant, and which lead to straightforward la la land – even with the best intentions and the best A.I. toolset, the search giant can’t exclude the latter from among the results. And yet, doing so is especially important in the case of medicine and healthcare, since the well-being of people is at stake. As technological development empowers patients, they are taking care of their health in a more active way. There is already a myriad of online resources and it’s a challenge on how to choose the best for the specific individual needs.

Among the many amazing sources out there, here are my top 10 choices when it comes to finding reliable medical and health information online. From medical websites to online toolkits, these are the favourites that I can always trust and rely on – and you should do so, too.

Medscape.com, led by one of the world’s top scientists and “analyst superstar”, Dr Eric Topol, is undoubtedly the go-to page for clinicians and medical professionals. However, it’s also an extremely useful site for the “average” ePatients as well. 

Featuring articles, the latest medical news, clinical trial coverage and drug development updates, Medscape is a reliable source for any health-related information. Moreover, the organisation itself also provides education for physicians and health professionals.

Added bonus: the site is also available in German, Portuguese, Spanish and French and as iOS and Android applications.

This is a page for the community lovers: smartpatients.com features a vivid online circle where patients, families and caregivers learn from each other about treatments, clinical trials or the latest science. Originally a cancer patient empowering and community tool, the site today, 25 years after its establishment, offers great resources for people affected by a wide variety of illnesses.

These communities are behind a login, but becoming part of the community is a simple and straightforward process. The founders (a pioneer in ePatient activism, and a former Google chief health strategist MD) realised that patients can be extraordinarily knowledgeable about their disease – and provided them with a platform that thrives online. 

Added bonus: their clinical trial search page is particularly useful!

This is the online space of the United States National Library of Medicine, providing easy to digest information in English and Spanish for patients and their caregivers, friends and families. The National Library of Medicine is no less than the world’s largest medical library with over 7 million books, journals, studies, technical reports, microfilms and some of the oldest medical works.

Online, patients can use MedlinePlus to learn about the latest treatments, look up information on a drug or supplement, find out the meanings of words, or view medical videos or illustrations and get links to the latest medical research or find out about clinical trials. The site has curated customer health information in categories like health and wellness information, genetics, information on drugs and supplements, medical tests, medical encyclopedia articles – and even healthy recipes.

Added bonus: select content also available in additional languages.

This online pharmaceutical encyclopedia provides free information service for patients and healthcare professionals on medications. In order to help patients better understand how medicines work, the page is listing the drugs’ use, side effects and potential to interact with other medicines.

In its search feature, one can browse either drugs or based on a specific condition, but my favourite one is the “Pill Identifier”, which aims to find legal medications based on their appearances or names in the US. It even has a phonetic search, an excellent tool as drugs’ names can often be confusing, long and unpronounceable for patients.

The Pro section aids health professionals in drug or treatment search. Its drug database is powered by four main sources: Cerner Multum, IBM Micromedex, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, and products labels approved by the Food and Drug Administration. 

Added bonus: Drugs.com is also available in the form of various apps: besides the free Medication Guide, they have a basic and a premium Pill Identifier App.

One of the leading medical centres in the U.S., Mayo Clinic is focused on integrated patient care, education, and research. Their website provides detailed information about medical conditions and diseases – by browsing through its of Disease & Conditions descriptions or by characterizing the illness in the Symptom Checker.

One of the most interesting features here is the Tests and Procedures search where patients can search for the possible treatment procedures and be knowledgeable about what awaits them or their beloved ones. Their articles are written based on the expertise of more than 3,300 physicians, scientists and researchers from Mayo Clinic to empower patients through their shared research. 

Added bonus: their international services in English, Español, Mandarin, Portugués and Arabic العربية.

A database dedicated to information on rare diseases and orphan drugs (drugs that are so rare that few pharmaceutical companies pursue research into), Orphanet provides useful data for professionals and patients alike.

Started in 1997, the website started collecting information to further the diagnosis, care and treatment of patients with rare diseases. By today it has become a European-backed worldwide science project, featuring information of about 6100+ rare diseases and 5400 genes. This open access, peer-reviewed journal serves as an inventory of rare diseases, using expert classifications, cross-referenced with other terminologies and including annotations with associated genes, phenotypes and epidemiological data.

Its assistance-to-diagnosis tool even allows users to search by signs and symptoms. Orphanet is an amazing tool for doctors and patients in their seemingly impossible search for answers on rare diseases. 

Added bonus: an encyclopaedia of rare diseases in 8 languages – actually, nearly everything is available on the website in 8 languages!

The top choice for information on medical technologies, Medgadget features up-to-date information on the latest healthcare technology, trends and research. Written by MDs and biomedical engineers, it is one of the world’s most visited and trusted websites on the subject. Their sponsored articles are always clearly marked and have a transparent editorial process, making them a trustworthy source of first-hand medical information source you can always rely on. 

Added bonus: they also feature and interpret study results as soon as the studies come out. And their byline, which says The Medical Revolution Will Be Blogged.

Health and medical information from the major league, WebMD is one of the most visited websites on health and wellbeing (WebMD is also the owner of Medscape, first on our list above).

The site provides credible information through its articles and featured contents, however, for patients its biggest assets are the databases on the site: from the symptom and conditions checkers, its segments on drugs&supplements, health&wellness and family planner resources. Physicians’ blogs on specific topics can really be helpful, and their community on their social media channels (like on their Facebook site) is a supportive network of patients and caregivers.

Added bonus: their unexpected pet health center!

This English/Spanish site provides a resource on wellness and prevention for individuals and  families. Health.gov is intended to be a reference point for U.S.-based healthcare practitioners to recommend to people to get information about prevention and wellbeing.

The site is operated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It can be used for personalized preventive healthcare services recommendations – in the U.S., these results can be brought to the GP directly to discuss the data with them. Its evidence-based health information is a great take-off point for a healthy living.

Added bonus: the screening and vaccination recommendation test on their opening page.

In order to reach the digital health transformation we at The Medical Futurist envision, the key is the patient itself. However, we cannot press enough how the patient is the most underused asset of healthcare – and this is the dogma ePatients fight against. Patient empowerment is actually an amazingly effective tool, and one of the earliest forerunners of such movements was the e-Patients blog backed by The Society for Participatory Medicine.

The blog aims to facilitate the concept of participatory medicine, a movement in which networked patients shift from being mere passengers to responsible drivers of their health, and in which providers encourage and value them as full partners. The organization seeks to bring together all the stakeholders in healthcare to encourage collaboration, communication and cooperation that will foster provider/patient engagement, patient empowerment and education. In line with its mission, e-patient.net contains the latest news and information about participatory medicine.

Added bonus: not directly linked to the site but to another ePatient frontrunner, Dave ‘ePatient Dave’ deBronkart, who calls the movement straight the ‘democratisation of healthcare’, which is the best way to put this. With him together I actually wrote the Digital Health Manifesto by which I still stand today.

Good to know

If you still need to assess the quality of a website containing medical information, it’s worth checking first the reliability of the site. You can look for these quality features: 

• Is the author of the article/website a medical professional?
• Do they have an editorial policy and whether it is supervised by medical professionals or patients organizations?
• Is there a policy on paid advertisements?
• Do they have clear contact information and an archive?
• Is there a clear description about the mission of the site and the intention of the author(s)?

The FDA also has recommendations for health information access, you can also take a look at them here.