Patricia Flatley Brennan, RN, PhD
Director, National Library of Medicine
The National Library of Medicine (NLM) is deeply committed to providing patients and their families and friends with reliable, up-to-date health information. Since 1998, when NLM first launched the MedlinePlus website, we have been bringing critical information about diseases, conditions, and wellness to the public. Our librarians select the most relevant, authoritative information from experts at NIH and beyond. Every day, close to one million people turn to MedlinePlus for accurate health information that is available anytime, anywhere, on any device, for free.
MedlinePlus covers a broad range of topics ranging from medical conditions such as high blood pressure, cancer, and diabetes, to important public health issues including bullying, opioid misuse and addiction, mental health, and HIV/AIDS. Additional resources include a medical encyclopedia, information about prescription and over-the-counter medicines, pages on herbs and supplements, and descriptions of medical tests. We also offer videos, tutorials and other interactive tools and games. Our Spanish language version of the site, MedlinePlus en español, makes this useful information available to Spanish-speaking audiences as well.
Our team at NLM is constantly working to meet your needs, and MedlinePlus continues to evolve. As described in our 2017-2027 strategic plan, our ability to transform data and information to accelerate biomedical discovery and improve health care is a driving force to address our nation's public health challenges. MedlinePlus is just one of many trusted resources from NLM that can help meet the demand for immediate access to the right information.
We are here to be your partners in health, and I welcome your feedback. You can find me on Twitter or visit my blog, NLM Musings from the Mezzanine. You can also send suggestions or questions about our health information resources using the "Customer Support" link at the top of any MedlinePlus page.
