MEDICINE

This month, following last month’s review of the "Doctor’s Guide" page, I thought it would be useful to review the AMA Health Insight page. It can be accessed directly or via my home page. The Health Insight site is an attractive and well-organized directory to health information.

The home page is broken down into Specific Conditions, General Health, Health Focus, and Interactive Health. The specific conditions listed on this home page are limited (only three): AIDS/HIV, Asthma, and Migraine. Whether these conditions change is unclear to me but they have not changed in a month or more. Specific Conditions is no more informative than the home page; indeed, only the same three "conditions" are listed. Clicking on Migraine takes you to a page with essential information on migraines including medications for mild to severe migraine, descriptions of migraines and the differences between migraine and headache. One of the best features of this page is the identification of the authors and the names of the physicians who reviewed the material for accuracy—a real plus if one wants accurate information.

The information on HIV and AIDS varies from simple to understand but without much information to more difficult to understand but quite useful. Specifically, the information on HIV virus loads and how they affect disease outcome is quite informative.

Another subheading concerned medications for HIV infection. I was especially taken by the metaphor of irregular socks to explain mutations in HIV that lead to drug resistance; however, in general the information on HIV drugs bordered on the useless. There was no information on the types of drugs available, their relative efficacies, nor their side effects. Clearly, anyone on anti-HIV medication or questioning whether to begin taking such drugs would welcome this type of information.

Going back to the Health Insight home page, one can also access information for parents and their children (located in the left sidebar). Going to the Human Atlas, one can view cartoon drawings of the heart and muscles, skeleton, and the male and female reproductive systems. Included in the female reproductive system are changes associated with pregnancy. I found these pages to be targeted at younger children, certainly prior to high school. Two of the pages were interactive, that is, if you click on a button, the name of a specific muscle and its function appears. Therefore, one could use the drawings to study for tests. Of the muscle system images, the front and back were the best panels.

Probably the best aspect of the Health Insight home page is the General Health page. This page includes information on nutrition that was worth reviewing. Even more useful was the information on choosing a health plan. For those who have options through their employers, it may serve as a good guide for deciding between HMO, PPO, and Fee-for-Service plans. In all, I found the information to be easy to understand and quite accurate. Specific information on the different types of health care plans is also available on the site.

Also covered in the General Health page was information on selecting a physician. I found this page to be extremely helpful, especially for someone new to an area. After agreeing to accept a disclaimer, one can search by specialty or name. The specialty search allows one to select state, city, and ZIP code. One can then select a medical specialty. As an example, searching for an Obstetrician and Gynecologist in Laguna Niguel, CA 92653 yielded a list of 22 physicians. These included both members and nonmembers of the AMA. Selection (by hypertext) of a specific physician yielded a photograph, information on training and board certification, confirmation by the AMA of board certification, address (including a map) and phone number. More important, necessary information like the insurance accepted, Medicare acceptance, hospitals used, and physician office hours were all included. I also liked the three-line "practice philosophy" information. In all, an extremely helpful page. For parents, you might like to know that pediatricians are listed by themselves.

The General Health page also includes travel health information, first aid tips, medical news, and an online store for health care products. Lastly, there was a link which allows the viewer to construct a personal and family health history that is entirely confidential. Such a tool could prove valuable (in time if one changes physicians) and to your health (if you are in an accident and unconscious). Confidentiality is maintained because you do not enter information about your name or address. This you write on the form after it has been filled out. The information that is requested is extensive. You should plan on at least 30 minutes. The computer will even print out a card that you can carry in your wallet with the essential information.

Back to the Health Insight home page, the final major subheading is interactive health. This is generally targeted toward nutrition and weight. There are good articles on how to reduce fat, salt, and saturated fats in your diet. You can enter information on your height and weight to calculate your body mass index (BMI). This is a general guide to your level of obesity (in other words…are you overweight?). Along with the calculation are charts based on age to show you where your BMI falls.

Finally, the Health Insight home page includes links to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), the American Medical Association (AMA), scientific journals and news, medical and science education, and health advocacy groups. In all, this is a good to excellent site for health information.

Ed Robinson earned his M.D. and Ph.D. at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and Vanderbilt University Graduate School in Nashville, Tennessee. Dr. Robinson has spent over ten years studying HIV and the immune response to HIV in infected individuals. He is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Pathology at the University of California at Irvine, where he continues his research and teaches undergraduate, graduate, and medical students about HIV and the immune system.