Provide sources of information about issues and trends for diabetic patients - Essay Example

Credible, up d, and comprehensive sources of information are needed by both patients and doctors to provide utmost management of the condition. Being well-informed about the trends and issues in health science can facilitate discussion between the doctor, who is well-adept in identifying the medical condition and knowing the types of management available for certain diseases, and the patient or caregiver, who knows first-hand the emotional and social needs as well as the financial capabilities of the patient.

This open communication fosters a patient-doctor relationship important especially in lifelong diseases, and allows decision-making based on the physical, emotional, mental, financial and social needs of the patient. Ultimately, this can help improve not only the physical well-being of the patient, but her quality of life as well in the best way possible.But where can they find such sources of information? The internet has been the most used source of the most up-to-date information about everything and anything under the sun.

What makes internet so updated is the fact that anyone can access it and anyone can put information in it. Because of that, however, there may be information that may not be correct, maybe because they have been handed-down to many people and the true meaning got lost somewhere in translation, or they may be intentionally uploaded onto the internet in efforts to confuse the public. Thus, both patients and doctors must be critical about the information available to them in internet. The Mayo Clinic website is a useful, easily accessible tool for patients and doctors alike.

It is maintained by an organization that also runs a medical and health sciences school as well as research facilities and laboratories under the same name. It contains articles about various medical conditions, symptoms, drugs, tests and procedures, lifestyle and first aid. They are written by medical professional experts in their fields. Its contents are updated regularly as well. The information is also comprehensive and well-organized. If a patient or doctor would like to read about a certain medical condition, they can look for it in the appropriate tab.

If a patient has a particular set of symptoms, then they can easily look for differential diagnoses, tests and procedures. The indications, contraindications and adverse effects of drugs are listed in this website as well. For example, in the entry for Down syndrome, a patient, or even a doctor, can look for the associated symptoms, causes, risk factors, complications, tests and diagnosis, treatments and drugs, coping and support, and prevention as well. The website also has a feature of suggesting some other websites or references for further reading.

The article on this particle medical condition was updated last April 7, 2011, less than a year ago (Mayo Clinic, 2011). In summary, a reliable reference should be written by known experts of the field. The information it contains should be comprehensive, well-organized and easy to understand for laymen. Finally, it should be updated as well. For doctors or any medical professionals seeking to know the latest or what the future holds in terms of diagnosis and management, they can consult those published by Mayo Clinic or other peer-reviewed journals as well.

To identify peer-reviewed references, they can use bibliographic databases that allow users to limit their search to peer-reviewed journals. Such databases include EBSCO, ProQuest, Cambridge Scientific Abstracts, and UlrichsWeb (Florida Gulf Coast University, 2010). Peer-review of the references used by these professionals is important in ensuring the validity of information as it means that the material contained in the article is agreed upon by experts in the field. ReferencesMayo Clinic. (2011). Down syndrome.

Retrieved from: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/down-syndrome/DS00182Florida Gulf Coast University (2010). Peer Reviewed Journals. Retrieved from: http://library.fgcu.edu/RSD/Instruction/peerrev/peerev.html