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About Consumer Health
Consumer health refers to the practice of individuals participating in health decisions, either for their own health care or the care of a loved one. This concept is closely tied to health literacy, or the ability of individuals to find and understand health information and services to make informed care decisions. On this page, you'll find places to search for consumer health topics and resources to promote health literacy for your patients.
Consumer Health Resources
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Consumer Health Complete This link opens in a new window
Designed for the everyday health care consumer, CHC provides access to easily understandable health and medical information found in medical encyclopedias, popular reference books, and magazine articles.
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Health Source: Consumer Edition This link opens in a new window
Popular and professionally written information for patients and consumers covering all health-related topics.
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Medline PlusMedlinePlus is an online health information resource for patients and their families and friends. It is a service of the National Library of Medicine (NLM), the world's largest medical library, which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
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EthnomedEthnomed provides information about immigration, cultural norms and values, experience with Western medicine, culture specific information and tools pertinent to the clinical encounter, and translated/culturally tailored information for patients.
Health Literacy Tools
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Everyday Words for Public Health CommunicationFree tool provided by the CDC. Enter medical jargon and see it translated into plain language for easier communication with patients.
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Plain Language GuidelinesTips for writing with plain language