# Presentation: 158477

## MLA Sunrise Seminar -  MEDLINEplus

- Joyce Backus
- Public Services Division
- National Library of Medicine
- National Institutes of Health
- Department of Health and Human Services

## Thanks to you....

**Notes:**
Thanks to you who enthusiastically promote MEDLINEPplus, millions of people are now using the site.
This graph shows that we have recorded over 50 million page hits and over 5 million unique IPs in the most recent quarter of Jan – March 2003.

## MEDLINEplus stats

- Over 50 million page hits per quarter
- Served over 5 million unique IPs
- Over 600 topics
- Over 550 topics en español
- 150 tutorials in English and Spanish

**Notes:**
Some other numbers to note are:
We now have over 600 health topic pages
And, over 550 health topic pages en espanol
MEDLINEplus also hosts 150 interactive patient tutorials that are available in both english and spanish

## What we have done for you lately...

- Go local
- New search engine
- Libraries from Docuser
- Genetics Home Reference
- NIHSeniorHealth.gov
- Print versions/ email to a friend
- Listserv en español
- User Survey

**Notes:**
But, what has medlineplus done for you lately?
Today, I’ll quickly describe some of our recent developments and also report some results from our February survey.

## Go Local

**Notes:**
As you probably know,  NC Health Info is the first go-local participant.  They’ve already been getting about 12,000 visits a month to over 30,000 pages.
The “go local” model is that the state provide health services information and map it to MEDLINEPlus health information topics and the sites guide users in both directions.
Users can link between the sites through the vocabulary mappings stored on each web site.

## More “Go-local” participants

- Link with existing state sites
- For sites that already have a well-developed local web site

- Host state sites at NLM
- For sites that do not yet have well-developed web sites linking to local information

**Notes:**
As for expanding go local, we have two models—linking with existing sites, for sites that already have a well-developed local web sites.
We are going to be working with Missouri’s “community connection” site as our next locally-hosted state site.
We are also creating a central system at NLM, for sites that don’t yet have well developed web sites linking to local information.
This central system is somewhat of a Docline model where state staff will select and manage the database of local sites and NLM takes care of the administration of the system.  
We hope to be able to make this system available to them by the end of this year.
We plan to work with a few states in the mid-continental region first.  
In either case, the North Carolina NC Health Info pilot staff have created a wealth of materials and procedures that will smooth they way for others states to participate.

## New Search Engine

- Recommind: concept-based system
- Spanish diacritics
- Displays search results in folders
- Searches and displays links from health topic pages

**Notes:**
We implemented a new search engine last fall. We needed a new search engine to be able to handle Spanish diacritics, and we also wanted to be able to separate the different types of results in MEDLINEplus.  The new search engine is called Recommind and it is a concept based system. 

The search engine has undergone several iterations since it was first released, and we’ve made improvements to it based on your feedback.  Keep letting us know when it doesn’t produce results for you.

## DOCUSER fields to MEDLINEplus Libraries

**Notes:**
As you know, we are now able to display your library’s contact information from data in your Docuser record.
Talk to your Docuser staff to update this information.

## Libraries in a state

**Notes:**
The libraries display by state, then city.

## Libraries – April 29

**Notes:**
And, here are the numbers of libraries listed for each state as of last Tuesday when we last updated the pages.

## Genetics Home Reference

## Slide 12

**Notes:**
NIH Senior Health is also going to expand and change. For one thing, it’s going to talk.  It will also allow even larger font sizes on request

## More NIHSeniorHealth topics

- Breast cancer
- Prostate cancer
- Colorectal cancer
- Lung cancer
- Arthritis
- Hearing Problems
- Balance Disorders

**Notes:**
We expect to release these additional topics on NIHSeniorHealth later this summer.  They have been developed by various NIH institutes in cooperation with NLM and the National Institute on Aging.

## Print version/Email to a friend

- Printer-friendly format
- Health topic pages print URL of links
- Used 6,070 times on April 30
- Email to a friend – usually can select URL or full text
- Used 650 times on April 30

**Notes:**
Late last month, we added print and email features to most MEDLINEplus pages. 

## Listserv en español

**Notes:**
From MEDLINEplus en español, users can now subscribe to a bi-weekly list of what’s new on that MEDLINEplus site.

## Future features

- More Go Local participants
- Spanish drug information
- Email daily news headlines
- Weekly email of new links for user-selected topics

**Notes:**
These are some of the features we plan to add later this year
More go local, drugs in Spanish
Emailing daily news headlines
And a new weekly service of new links for user-selected topics

## Spanish drug information

- MedMaster  - ASHP (American Society of Health-System Pharmacists)
- Translation of English version
- Will be added incrementally, starting with most used drugs
- “Toggle” between English and Spanish monographs

**Notes:**
We are licensing the MedMaster drug file in Spanish from the ASHP.  It will be a translation of the monographs now available in English.
These records will be added in 4 increments and by this time next year, we should have the entire file.

## The web site randomly selected visitors between Feb 14-27, 2001 and then between Feb 19 and March 4, 2003.
Visitors received a pop-up box inviting them to take the survey with an “opt-out.” In 2003, the invitation was in both English and Spanish.
In 2001, 3% of the invitations resulted in completed surveys.  In 2003, the rate was 4%.

- Visitors received a pop-up box inviting them to take the survey with an “opt-out.” In 2003, the invitation was in both English and Spanish.
- In 2001, 3% of the invitations resulted in completed surveys.  In 2003, the rate was 4%.

- MEDLINEplus Survey

**Notes:**
You may have been invited to take our survey this winter.  Thanks to those of you who responded.  
We repeated most of the survey from 2001 so we can compare the results.  As you can see, we had a better return rate to the invitation to participate.

## Gender, Age, Education, Race & Ethnicity

**Notes:**
Here are some of the results.  The top blue bar shows the 2001 results and the gold bar represents this year’s outcome.

As you can see, in both surveys, respondents are very likely to be female, 
In their mid 40s
Likely to be college graduates, but slightly less so in 2003
Very likely to be white
Less likely to be Hispanic or Latino

We conducted the same survey from the main site and from MEDLINEplus en español.  
These results are only from the English site.

## Country and Reading Language

**Access Location:**

**Primary** **Reading** **Language**:

- Source question: Please select the country from which you are currently accessing MEDLINEplus. What is your preferred reading language on the Web?

**Notes:**
The survey respondents were more likely to be from the US than any other country.
The country next most often to be reported was Canada, followed by other industrialized nations.

Respondents to this English-language survey almost all reported that as their primary reading language.

## Access Location

- Source question: From what location are you searching the Web and using MEDLINEplus today?

**Notes:**
Respondents most often reported using MEDLINEplus from home, followed by work, school, the library and then health care settings.

## Learned of Site

- Source question: How did you learn of the MEDLINEplus Web site?

**Notes:**
How do respondents find MEDLINEplus?		

Well, this year almost half reported finding MEDLINEplus through internet search engines
After that, another third reported finding MEDLINEplus through a link from an NIH or other web site (possibly yours?)
Then, from a library (really also a link from a site)
Then, health organizations and other sources

## Visitor Roles

- Source question: In what role are you using MEDLINEplus today?

- * Not asked in 2001 survey

**Notes:**
This chart shows the self-described roles the respondents reported they were using the site
Most were patients or friends of patients
Followed by general health consumers, students, etc
Four percent of users identified themselves as information professionals

## Reasons for Visiting

- Source question: Why are you visiting the MEDLINEplus Web site today?

**Notes:**
Why did the respondents come to MEDLINEplus?
These responses won’t surprise those of you who serve consumers!  Multiple responses are allowed on this question.
Most respondents were looking for condition, medication, or general information
Others were working on school project, looking for news, alternative medicine, clinical trials and some were even looking for products.

## Overall Satisfaction

- Source question: Overall, how satisfied are you with MEDLINEplus?

**2001:  81%**
**2003****:  ****87%**

- *Less than .5%

**Notes:**
Lastly, we asked respondents how satisfied they are with MEDLINEplus.

And, I’m glad to report a very high level of satisfaction with 87% of the respondents from this year’s survey reporting extremely or very satisfied,

But, we’re never quite satisfied, so...

## We welcome your comments

- Use the “Contact Us” link on any MEDLINEplus page

**Notes:**
Keep sending us your comments and suggestions.