- DrKoop

www.drkoop.com

Few sites will have more instant name recognition that www.drkoop.com, although the site has no affiliation with C. Everett Koop, U.S, Surgeon General from 1982-89. It is a very rich and comprehensive Web site, with links, information, animations and video that covers seemingly the entire clinical spectrum.

A visitor’s first option is to visit a Health Center according to medical condition, a scrolling menu that covers the gamut from acne to incontinence to yeast infection. Clicking one of the entries takes the viewer to a page that lists various medical encyclopedia entries on the condition, an “In the News” section that lists recent articles and other sources of information, and all of that topic’s applicable videos and animations.

In addition to the Health Center listings, visitors have a number of other search options: News, Health Encyclopedia, In-Depth Reports, Check a Symptom, Procedures, Animations Library, Video Library, Dr. Koop’s Health Tools, Drug Information, or Natural Medicine.

The News section contains hundreds of links to other online resources, searchable chronologically one week at a time. The alphabetical Health Encyclopedia contains thousands of entries, searchable by Disease, Injury, Nutrition, Poison, Symptom, Surgery, Test, or Special Topic (including such entries as Adult Diapers, Marijuana Abuse, and Margarine vs. Butter).

By clicking on In-Depth Reports, visitors are routed to more comprehensive content on sister sites in The HealthCentral Network (for example, clicking on Bipolar Disorder sends visitors to information on www.BipolarConnect.com). Searching by Symptom provides a definition of the symptom, its alternative names, Considerations, and Common Causes. By clicking the Treatment button on one of these subpages, visitors will be advised about the circumstances under which they should contact a health care provider, as well as what to expect if you visit a health care provider with those symptoms.

Searching by Procedures allows visitors to choose from vast alphabetical menu, and provides not just an overview of the procedure, but information on what risks it presents and the results it hopes to achieve.

The 3D Animation Library contains animations on 18 different topics, from acne to Menopause. When a user clicks a condition in the Video Library, they are taken to a page with not only the video entry, but also convenient menus that show related videos and animations on the site, related entries in the medical encyclopedia, and the latest Hot News on the subject.

Dr. Koop’s Health Tools send the visitor to a page that includes an interactive feature, such as taking an allergy quiz, ways to determine your cholesterol, and how to determine your Body Mass Index.

The Drug Information link is an alphabetical listing of pharmaceuticals, and each entry contains a description of the drug, its side effects and interactions, warnings and precautions, clinical pharmacology, overdosage and contraindications, indications and dosage, and information for patients.

Finally, the Natural Medicines page, sponsored by the Nutraceutical Sciences Institute, contains five reports on related topics, an “Ask the Doc” section on nutritional supplements, and a link for visitors to get a free Vitamin Catalog.

Users also can subscribe to the site’s newsletter, which covers eleven health issues including Alternative Medicine, Arthritis, Men’s Health, Sex & Relationships and Women’s Health. Registration is free and requires only an email address.