PBL Information Resources and Tools for the First Year: Case #13: Marcelino Ortega -- A Yellow Fellow

Did you know ...  a keyword search in Roger will help you find books that might have your term in the chapter headings? 

Searching Google for some info?  Don't forget to specify the types of sites you want to see.  Use site:org or site:gov to get results from private organizations or government organizations that have information matching your search terms.

Not finding what you need?  Having trouble using one of our resources?  Please let us know.

Ask Karen - you can reach me at 858-534-1199 or at kheskett@ucsd.edu

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The point-or-care clinical resources might be very helpful with this case.  Many of you have checked out Up to Date, but may be new to eMedicine - a free resource.  See the higlighted resource below for more information on this resource. 

Resources for this case include:

Textbook Suggestions (look left)

Featured Resource --  Medscape- Redux

National or State Organizations

Life-long Resources  -- Trip Database

MedlinePlus -- Search Widget

Medscape - An Online Reference Tool (Free)

Many of you have already found and used Medscape.  With so many library-subscribed resources, this one often is overlooked.  However, as a credible free resource, it is a good one to know, especially when you have moved on from UCSD.  (You may need to create an account with them to access information.)  Think of eMedicine as similar to  Up to Date.  

The tabs at the top of the article let you see a variety of topics from clinical presentation to DDX to how to workup to treatment & follow up.  The overview section also covers pathophysiology of conditions.

Why is Medscape good?  Can I trust their information?

Good questions you should ask of every resource.  These questions are not about whether you like the look of the site, but what evidence do they offer that they are reliable.  Here are a couple of things you can see right at the top:

• Who wrote this?  Physicians with credentials and affiliations (and a disclosure statement) just like peer-reviewed journals
• How old is this info?  Update date included - December, 2014
• How full is their info?  Links to sections within this "article" and not seen in this picture are links to possibly associated information. 
• What is their evidence?  To see it, all you need to do is click the link.  While the evidence is not graded (like some evidence-based medicine resources) they use very credible sources in their references.

A couple of draw-backs include:

• Requiring registration for accessing (now you have to think about privacy of your info)
• Advertising

Synthesized Tools for Making Patient Care Decisions

National and State Organizations

The following resources are available to everyone without a subscription and for the most part have been developed with government funding.  These tools will be available to you even when you graduate and move on from UCSD. 

MedlinePlus is a great place to find consumer-friendly materials along with directories, a dictionary & encyclopedia, and more.  Take a look and see what you find - try hepatobiliary.