Licensed Vocational/Practical Nursing

Searching for information on the web efficiently requires developing a search strategy. Is the information sought very specific? If so, a search engine is the best search tool to use with keywords to describe the exact information need. Unsure or looking for more general information on a topic?  Start with a subject directory and search broad topics. Many specialized databases and search tools are also available on the web.

Click the Research Skills tab above for great resources on evaluating health information on the Web.

• Calculating Sample Size for Different Study Designs in Medical Research

  Involves lots of equations, but gives you an idea of the issues related to sample sizes.

• CDC - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

  A very well organized website for starting research and for finding health statistics. Extensive information about health and disease from the US Department of Health and Human Services.

• MedlinePlus

  US National Library of Medicine website providing health information to the general public

• US FDA Drug Information

  Food and Drug Administration website of information on drugs for humans, such as label information and FDA approval history. Look for the Drugs@FDA search link, as well as links for healthcare professionals and consumers, and the Drug Information Pathfinder.

• National Institutes of Health (NIH)

  Website of the Federal government agency charged with being the "steward of medical and behavioral research for the Nation." Site provides consumer health information, information on clinical trials, and an array of health and research-related information

• WWW Epidemiology Virtual Library

  Website from UC San Francisco's Dept. of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Lists government agencies keeping epidemiological data from all over the world.

• US FDA Drug Information Food and Drug Administration website of information on drugs for humans, such as label information and FDA approval history. Look for the Drugs@FDA search link, as well as links for healthcare professionals and consumers, and the Drug Information Pathfinder.
  
  
• National Guideline Clearinghouse
  U.S. Department of Health & Human Services database of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines.
  
  
• PubMed
  National Library of Medicine - National Institutes of Health launching point for health sciences information, from peer-reviewed literature to clinical trials. Be sure to look at the quick start guide, information on finding the full text of articles, and the tutorials. Also check out the citation matchers, useful if you have incomplete information about an article.
  
  
• TOXNET
  National Library of Medicine online database of toxicology information
  
  
• Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy - Online
  Online version, with features not available in the print version, and "continuously updated to ensure that the information is as up-to-date as possible."