This comprehensive health resource offers information on women's health issues in a variety of forms, including publications, blogs, news articles, columnists, and more. NWHRC is a non-profit organization, and has been in existence for 20 years.
While I could not find a mission statement per se, I did find an explanation of what they stand for:
" NWHRC Stands For:
Quality: In collaboration with the nation's leading health professionals, NWHRC ensures that its information is comprehensive, unbiased, thoughtful, engaging, understandable, timely and relevant.
Independence: NWHRC's information, consumer research and programs are independent of influence from external parties, thereby ensuring their credibility.
Leadership: The NWHRC is at the forefront of identifying cutting-edge and emerging women's health concerns and topics. It conducts national surveys of women to identify health needs, attitudes and behaviors. It strives to be the first to disseminate the most up-to-date women's health information.
Respect: NWHRC respects every woman's right to personal health information and privacy.
Diversity: NWHRC strives to develop and distribute information that reflects the diversity of the population and addresses disparities among women.
Action: NWHRC uses resources to further the organization's mission: enhance awareness about women's health issues, address unmet health information needs and develop outreach programs to reach underserved populations."
( http://www.healthywomen.org/aboutnwhrc)
The "About Us" page is pretty impressive-it offers a detailed listing of the NWHRC's Board of Directors, Staff, Content Review Board, and both the Corporate Advisory Council (lots of pharmaceutical companies here, but they're listed in fairly plain view) as well as a Women's Center Advisory council, which shows affiliations with medical centers, hospitals, and health centers.
The website is easy to navigate, and I especially like that there is an "A-Z" index for health topics as well as a "Publications and Resources" tab. The site is neat, clean, and "makes sense" to me-check out the website, and let me know what you think!
Happy Browsing!
Lynne
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
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Looks like it's working fine, Lynne :)
ReplyDeleteOne thing that's always fascinated me about the special populations focus is this: How do you simultaneously present information FOR a particular population, and ABOUT a particular population? For example, does the NWHRC assume people spending time at the site are women? If so, what "kind" of women?
That's a good question Catherine. How would they gather the stats for that unless they did a survey of some type? People could be searching for information for a friend or family member and not fit with this special population at all.
ReplyDeleteI am shocked that given all the publicity and concern regarding the mercury based preservative Thimerosal and it's links to Autism and babies immunizations, there are still states that use this in their flu shots for pregnant women. With the news article stating that only a very small percentage or women even consider getting a flu shot while pregnant and how vitally important it is for pregnant women to receive a flu shot to not only protect themselves but it can give thier newborns a small amount of immunity, why would they even entertain the thought of continuing to use this preservative. Thankfully Illinois is one of those states that has banned the use.
ReplyDeleteThis was a fascinating website, Lynne, where has this been all my life and I am especially glad to have become aware of it for my daughter and daughter-in laws health. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
Lynne - this is a great site. For many reasons that were covered in our good vs bad web content discussions a couple of weeks ago. Updated with dates, credentialed reviewers, clear contact information, current references, etc. My favorite part of the website is the "Test your knowledge" in each topic. What a great way to retain the information that you just read! I know I always learn from my mistakes - so I if I get a question wrong - I'm much more likely to remember the answer. :)
ReplyDeleteI investigated Cat's question - and I feel they did a fairly good job represented age groups as they list topics from Alzheimer's to Teen Health. Those articles cover many angles - the care giver, prevention, and focusing on you directly, if you are affected.
I noticed a lot of the 'columnists' are experts in areas that affect women from 20-50 years of age. Focusing on breast cancer, menopause and reproductive health is apparent.
I'm not sure what population is not represented - as in "what kind of women"...Ideas anyone? :)
Patti-I'm so glad you found some relevant and useful information on the website! it. I believe they cover over 100 health topics as well as all of the other resources. I especially like that they appear to be very focused and detailed about where their information comes from, and who assesses it.
ReplyDeleteMelissa,
ReplyDeleteI'm better at "re-taking" tests too! I did like the wide range of information available-as you noted, ages 20-50, which covers a lot of territory. I'll have to go back and see how much information is available for over 50-osteoporosis would be at least one great topic to have more information on.
Thanks!
I also really like this site for the reasons already mentioned. My favorite additional feature is the "spell checker" next to the search field on every page after the home page. While admittedly not as intuitive as the "Did you mean ____?" offered by sites like Google and Amazon, this is a great way to get around the spelling mistakes that can plague OPAC users, for example, and lead to patrons giving up their search altogether. I tried it out using "menapause" and received about ten suggestions for what I really meant.
ReplyDeletePatti (and others), I think it's important to back up our statements with citations when necessary -- regarding any possible link between autism and thimerosal, I would point you to the extremely authoritative Institute of Medicine report you can find discussed here:
ReplyDeletehttp://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C02E2D6123FF93AA25756C0A9629C8B63
and regarding thimerosal and its use in inactivated flu vaccines, the FDA has a detailed information page here:
http://www.fda.gov/CBER/vaccine/thimerosal.htm
I do not want to stifle discussion; I do think it is important to have informed discussion. If people want to make clinical claims, they should be supported by evidence from research.
Elizabeth:
ReplyDeleteI thought it was a mistake not to have a topic, lesbians, in the A-Z tab: http://www.healthywomen.org/healthtopics
One aspect I liked was that a lot of territory was covered. It wasn't limited to one small age range but rather looked at several steps in life as well as general "wellness." The Publications and Resources tab was very interesting -- lots of topic areas covered. This seems like a site that would benefit lots of women as they step through life.
ReplyDeleteBTW, Critterref is Paula.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth,
ReplyDeleteYour comment intrigued me...it's true that women's sexuality in context with lesbianism is not noted in the A-Z topic index, it also bothered me that sexuality itself was not noted, although a cursory look at the given topics (in my opinion) look to be more specifically medical, rather than a holistic listing of topics, which might very well include women's sexuality.
At any rate, I decided to see if I could find information on this topic (and I did-eventually!). Weirdly enough, choosing the topic "Sexual Dysfunction" takes you to a new page, and a link is available for their HealthyWomen Sexuality Center. Under the "Nurture Your Nature" link, they have resources listed, one of which is the International Lesbian and Gay Association. (You can get there faster by finding the Sexual Health Center under the "Health Center" tab).
Not readily accessible, but some information is there-but the larger question would be if patrons would as doggedly look for the same information if they needed it? Probably not-too long a journey...
Lynne
This is an excellent web site Lynne! Thanks for sharing with us. I am very impressed with the thorough coverage, the panel of experts, and the organization.
ReplyDeleteI particularly like the Health Centers section. I have endometriosis and had never been on this site before; there's an Endometriosis Corner here. I like the Ask an Expert section on the Health Centers/Corners.
The featured articles of the month are very current and present information I have not read before (at least for endo). There are citations too!! One red flag, at least for me, at the bottom of several featured articles it says " Produced with financial support from TAP Pharmaceutical Products Inc. " Makes me wonder if this information is skewed in any way??
One last area I like is the Publications & Resources. There are a variety of sources listed here, some free and some for payment. Looks like Amazon is the source for purchasing the references. I wonder if these are books written by their panel of experts or just resources selected for their content?? Sometimes when sites sell books I get turned off because I feel that is all they really want...my money. I don't feel that way here.
Overall, all the marks of the good web site with the added bonus of being a HON Code site too!
Michelle R.
Michelle,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you've found it useful (I have as well). I like that there seems to be a good cross-section of contributors. there are corporations mixed in with the docyors and other professional staff, but I did not feel that this was commercially driven. As I noted above (before I read all of the new posts) I liked the Publications and Resources that they offered as well. they may not have everything, but they have a great deal of information, and overall, what I see looks to be current and authoritative.
Take care...
The way to find the lesbian stuff, folks, is to do a search in the search box using the word "Lesbian." This brings you things including a Lesbian Health Guide. Try "Bisexual" and you get some more. Etc.
ReplyDeleteThe organization according to "health topic" is what makes this difficult to find. It's an information architecture problem for websites of all kinds (not just health). If something is not a diagnosis, a symptom or a disease, how do you make it findable on a health-related site? Since human sexuality is not a diagnosis, an information architecture that relies on this orientation (pardon the pun) is going to pose problems.
After looking at the NWHRC site for a while, I'm a little fuzzy about how independent the organization is. While everyone can agree that it's crucial for medical information to be disseminated free from any kind of corporate or outside influence, it's not really clear what the NWHRC defines as independent. The definition on the "About" section of the web site says this:
ReplyDelete"NWHRC's information, consumer research and programs are independent of influence from external parties, thereby ensuring their credibility."
Yet I see lots of corporate sponsorship throughout the site. I would appreciate a clearer definition of their independence. It's not that I doubt the NWHRC's neutrality on health issues, I just wish that they would have had the foresight to clear up this discrepancy.
You're right, Brendan, there is a corporate presence on this website-I did note information about the "About Us" page. What caught my eye there was more what I found by going through the links on the left side-seeing what comprised the content review board, and the advisory councils for example.
ReplyDeleteThey do offer (under "Services" on the "About Us" page) an explanation of the partnerships they have, including for-profit organizations:
"Our Partners
Organizations partner with the NWHRC to develop public education programs because of the NWHRC's reputation for providing reliable, unbiased and comprehensive health information. Consumers trust the NWHRC's products and services. Educational programs developed by the NWRHC and its partners increase awareness of women's health and wellness issues.
Health Care Professionals—The NWHRC assists health care professionals by serving as an additional resource for their patients. Because the NWHRC works with the foremost professionals in the medical field to compile its materials, it offers health care professionals the opportunity to effectively enhance the education and support services they provide to consumers. Through our publication, the National Women's Health Report, our toll free number and our user friendly Web site, the NWHRC supports professionals' efforts to provide the most timely, accurate health information available.
Non-Profit Organizations & Government Agencies—The NWHRC partners with health care, education and advocacy organizations and government agencies to promote timely issues concerning women's health. These alliances are developed to bring critical health information to populations in need.
Media—The NWHRC serves as a credible resource for the media by providing health information that is in-depth, unbiased and accurate. The NWHRC's staff and its Women's Health Advisory Council, a group of national health experts, are available to provide professional perspective and commentary on women's health issues. Media can visit our online media center.
For-Profit Organizations—The NWHRC welcomes partnerships with industry leaders, including pharmaceutical, consumer-product and managed care companies, hospitals and health systems, corporations, and media establishments. Opportunities exist for the development of national public education initiatives, educational products and online content as well as the expansion of corporate intranets.
Web-Based Organizations—The NWHRC maximizes use of the online medium by incorporating web-based educational efforts into broader public education initiatives. The NWHRC also can provide proprietary online content and excellent opportunities for exposure through sponsorship of key sections of its own Web site."
http://www.healthywomen.org/aboutnwhrc/services
It still looks to be focused on educational and informational purposes, but I'm sure everything isn't smooth sailing all of the time...
Hope this helps!
I just wanted to mention what I appreciated from this website. When I was browsing the Health Topics A-Z I noticed that there were links for Caregiving, and Legal Health Tools. Neither of these are conditions or disorders that you'd normally see listed, but they're still quite relevant to one's health in different ways. Whether these links and resources help women to help others or to help themselves, it was encouraging to find this information included. Health websites that are inclusive of the whole person seem to be the most appealing to me.
ReplyDeletebtw, librariansassafras is Kirsten :-)
ReplyDeleteKirsten,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you-I think one of the best ways to address health issues for anyone is to look at the whole person. Many of us don't separate into compartments very well.
The caregiver and legal sections I had previously missed, but I agree here also with you that these are vital areas of information that need as many outlets as possible.
We recently had a speaker at the library presenting information on the differences between supportive care, assisted care, and nursing homes, as well as what funding/cost options are available through the state of Illinois. One statement really hit home-the presentor recommended to see many different homes even before that decision is needed-too many times people are making those decisions after a debilitating illness from their hospital bed, and endeing up not being familiar with the place chosen. Including this information allows people of all ages to be proactive before (hopefully) a situation develops.
Take care...