Find Health Information for Your Patrons in Other Languages

Posted in: #CC/Academic List, #Health Interest List, #Health Sciences List, #Public/K-12 List, All Members

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The worldwide web has a ton of information, but as we know, not all information on the web is reliable. Finding credible resources in a library patron’s or community member’s preferred language that you don’t speak can become especially tough. 

MedlinePlus (www.medlineplus.gov), put together by the National Library of Medicine, features a wealth of health information all coming from reliable sources that have been vetted by health professionals. When you are exploring the health information in MedlinePlus, take a moment to locate the materials available for your patrons who want languages other than English. 

The Health Information in Multiple Languages page gathers health resources covering 57 different languages – from Amharic to Yiddish –all in one place. These languages are slowly growing as the National Library of Medicine explores other sources of trust in other languages.  

The collection of handouts and other resources comes from an assortment of medical sources ranging from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to various National Institutes of Health to universities. All of the information is reliable and evidence-based. 

The selection of topics available can vary from language to language and from topic to topic. You will find a broad range of materials in Vietnamese but only two topics covered in Cape Verdean Creole. 

Titles include such consumer-friendly topics as “10 Things You Can Do to Manage Your COVID-19 Symptoms at Home” and “Safe Sleep for Your Baby.”  

As with all of MedlinePlus, the resources in multiple languages are free and available at any time over the web. You will find a button linking to the page along with others at the bottom of the MedlinePlus home page. 

Some other helpful health resources incorporating multiple languages include these: 

• Health Information Translations created by Ohio State University and a group of Ohio hospitals. 

• SPIRAL (Selected Patient Information Resources in Asian Languages) is a product of Tufts University and covers eight languages. 
• Cancer Index provides a collection of links to health information in non-English languages. 

George Strawley, M.L.I.S., works on providing consumer-level health information and programs through libraries as well as on the planning and implementation of funding aimed at addressing health disparities. A former librarian in both the public and community college settings, he is now based at the University of Utah.