 Justine
Herl knows all about cardiac angiography, joint replacements and
bariatric surgery. But the 35-year-old Health Matters producer
doesn’t suffer from the conditions that require these procedures.
Her job is to make the procedures understandable for her audience,
which is what A.D.A.M. does for her.A.D.A.M. is an online
multimedia health encyclopedia that is available to the public at no
charge through the Lee Memorial Health System Web site. There are
currently more than 7,000 pages of A.D.A.M. content available on
LMHS' Web site.
“When I’m writing a story, of course I talk to the doctor, but I
use A.D.A.M. on the Lee Memorial Health System Web site to
double-check facts. I also use it when I’m preparing to see a doctor
so I’m fully aware of the condition we’re going to discuss,” she
says. “Just today I looked up how to calculate body mass index.”
You don’t have to be a health reporter to benefit from the
A.D.A.M. content. Patients can use the articles to research a
disease or condition, or learn about an upcoming test. A symptom
checker tool enables users to click on the body part where they are
experiencing pain and learn about conditions that could be causing
the pain.
“The articles are easy to understand—you don’t need a medical
degree or background in health care to read them,” says Anne Rose,
Executive Director of Marketing and Communications for Lee Memorial
Health System.
She adds that A.D.A.M. helps to prepare patients for their next
visit to the doctor’s office because it provides information about
what to expect during the visit and questions to ask their
physician.
The online health encyclopedia also includes articles about what
to do after being discharged, self-care instructions and special
diets. Additionally, users can prepare for emergencies by reading
the A to Z database of poisons or injuries.
There are also streaming health videos which educate viewers
about topics such as asthma, flu, allergies, living with a newborn
and caring for young children.
Many pages on the LMHS Web site have links to A.D.A.M. content
embedded in them. This enables a reader to quickly and easily find
more information about a condition or procedure.
LMHS updates the health information site every three weeks to
ensure that all information is up-to-date and timely. For example,
many people are currently concerned about swine flu, so there is a
lot of information about it available through A.D.A.M.
“We chose A.D.A.M. because it is one of the largest and most
comprehensive medical information, image and animation libraries in
the world. The information is reviewed by physicians, and physicians
are consistently asked for their input to make the site better,”
says Rose.
“We are proud to offer this tool to our community and the patients
that we serve,” she adds.
To learn more, or to access A.D.A.M.,
click here.
|
