The computer has become an important tool for helping people locate medical and health information quickly and easily. Most software and information services are user friendly and allow people with no formal training in computer searching to use databases to obtain information. As mentioned earlier, many public libraries have Infotrac , a database that includes consumer health information. It indexes popular magazines and newspapers and 2 to 4 years' worth of medical publications.
Medical libraries have more extensive medical databases.
This database contains location and description information about a wide variety of resources, including organizations, research resources, projects, databases, and electronic bulletin boards concerned with health and biomedicine. Developed and managed by health-related agencies of the Federal Government, this database can help people find information and educational resources such as brochures, books, and audiovisuals on selected topics. CHID contains 16 subfiles, including the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases subfile.