NLM’s revolution in consumer health information to improve patient outcomes

Under the leadership of NLM Director Donald A.B. Lindberg M.D., the National Library of Medicine (NLM) continued to promote its services to the nation’s health care professionals and scientists. With support of the U.S. Congress, it initiated new communications and outreach programs and services directed at the general public that revolutionized their access to information as well. Because effective health communication must be tailored for the audience and the situation, Lindberg supported the development of online health information tools designed to help consumers find free, comprehensive, timely, and trustworthy sources of health information that, ultimately, can improve patient outcomes. New and popular consumer-friendly websites were championed by Lindberg, including MedlinePlus, and ClincialTrials.gov, and he formed unique partnerships with national physician organizations to educate their patients about reliable sources of health information from the NLM. A new era of timely and trusted online health information for the general public began in 2006 under Lindberg’s tenure culminating in the development, publication and distribution of NIH’s first consumer magazine, NIH MedlinePlus, featuring the research and findings of the NIH. In his effort to improve patient outcomes, Dr. Lindberg revolutionized the Library’s outreach capabilities and successfully expanded its mission to serve not only health professionals and scientists, but also consumers nationwide.

The Choosing Wisely initiative and laboratory test stewardship

The United States Choosing Wisely initiative was started in 2012 by the American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation and focused on reducing medical resource overutilization. Since its inception in the US, similar efforts have arisen in at least a dozen countries. Strongly patient-focused, and in fact started in collaboration with the consumer magazine Consumer Reports, the effort has resulted in a collection of greater than 500 recommendations from over 80 US professional societies intended to inform both patients and doctors about medical practices whose necessity should be questioned or discussed. Targets of recommendations include practices that lack a basis in scientific evidence, practices that may be duplicative of other care already received, practices that may be harmful and practices that are simply unnecessary. While critiques have been levied against the Choosing Wisely initiative over its intent, methods and efficacy, it is clear that many of its recommendations have been adopted by large medical practices, and several positive outcomes, i.e. reductions in perceived waste, have been reported in relation to many of the recommendations, including those specifically targeting laboratory tests. The future success of Choosing Wisely will likely hinge on whether or not significantly positive and durable outcomes can be demonstrated, especially at a time where there is increasing pressure to drive down costs in medical care while concomitantly increasing quality.

Art for our sakes: An analysis of arts coverage at city and regional magazines

The purpose of this research was to better understand how decisions about arts coverage are made at city and regional magazines and the value that these stories have to both the publications they appear in and the communities they are targeted toward. City and regional magazines, which cover specific areas and have more intimate relationships with their readers than, say, a national consumer magazine or arts periodical, were chosen because of the unique opportunity afforded to them by their position as a cross between the community-oriented city newspaper and the glossy, in-depth monthly magazine. In discussing the arts, their value, and the ways in which they are covered with arts and culture editors and top editors at magazines from around the country, this research found value in arts journalism for city magazines, both in the fulfillment of these publications' missions and the enrichment of their communities. This research approached the topic through the use of gatekeeping theory, which explains how media messages travel from their producers to their consumers.