Literature & clinical references
MedlinePlus
NIH consumer health information
"The NIH's plain-language disease reference, written for patients."
About the resource
MedlinePlus is the NLM's consumer-facing health information service. It synthesises content from across the NIH and other vetted sources into plain-language pages on more than 1,000 diseases, conditions and wellness topics, plus the A.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia, the AHFS drug information database, lab-test descriptions and a genetics-focused section (MedlinePlus Genetics, formerly Genetics Home Reference).
It offers Spanish-language counterparts, an API for embedding into clinician-facing applications, and the Health Topic search service used by many U.S. patient portals. For researchers, it's the right thing to hand a participant or family member who has just been told a diagnosis.
What you'd use it for
- 01Hand patients and families a credible, plain-language reference
- 02Translate genetic and rare-disease findings into accessible context
- 03Embed disease information into EHR patient-portal flows
- 04Find Spanish-language patient materials
How you access it
Web UIConnect APIMobile-responsive designRSS