MerckSource - Health Site Guide

www.MerckSource.com

An award-winning site rich with interactive and video features, MerckSource offers a diverse menu of links covering nearly the whole spectrum of clinical medicine.

The videos and animations include the Interactive Body Guide, which illustrates basic anatomy according to system (for example “Cardiovascular” or “Endocrine”), for both males and females. The 3D Medical Animations are two-minute video explanations of anatomy and function that you access with a drop-down menu of conditions and procedures. The choices here are wide-ranging, including “Heart attack,” ”Face lift,” and “Root canal,” among many others.

Using the site’s interactive Health Tools is free, but requires registration. These tools include Medical Calculators such as “Are You an Apple or a Pear?” and the “Calcium Calculator.” The Health Condition Trackers are for watching your cholesterol or logging your sleep, among other trackers, and with Health Risk Assessments you can answer questionnaires to determine how likely you are to have or develop various medical conditions, including heart disease, melanoma and depression.

The Condition Guides and Resource Library describe most common medical concerns with basic articles and links to additional information. The Health Centers link organizes the site’s information according to the patient’s age and sex, and offers a separate link for caregivers. On the home page, a link to Medicaid and Medicare Resources for Consumers leads to specific information on these programs.

The You and Your Doctor link provides a video tutorial, narrated by a physician, on how to work better with your doctor. Dr. Savard’s advice includes how to prepare for visits, maintain medical records and how often to get check-ups. This section also provides a list of questions to ask your doctor organized by your specific diagnosis. If worry about pronouncing medical terms keeps you from talking with your doctor, the “Hear It Pronounced” feature in the Condition Guides will give you opportunities to practice before your visit.

Newsletter subscriptions, an Over-the-Counter Drug Guide based on the authoritative Physician’s Desk Reference, a link to the Merck Manual—Second Home Edition online, a Symptom Checker, a Health Encyclopedia (in English and Spanish), Health News and a link to Clinical Trial Information round out the site.

This site is owned and operated by Merck & Co., Inc. a pharmaceutical products and services company and publisher of The Merck Manual, a widely read reference for physicians, as well as The Merck Manual—Second Home Edition, which is edited for patients.

Last modified: 20 Sep 2006.