Sci-Lites 10(2): Health Sciences Databases

While University of Maine health sciences faculty, students, and staff are already familiar with the MEDLINE and CINAHL databases in our digital collection, we also provide access to resources useful for information on consumer health, wellness, herbs, and dietary supplements. Three of these databases--Clinical Reference Systems, Health Source Plus, and USP DI Volume II, Advice for the Patient--are accessible to all Maine residents, as part of the suite of EBSCO databases made available by support from the Maine State Legislature. A fourth database, IBIDS (International Bibliographic Information on Dietary Supplements), is provided free as a public service by the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. All are available from the Library Indexes and Databases page.

Clinical Reference Systems
Clinical Reference Systems, a patient education software developer, produces this database. It includes over 8,000 essays on medicine and surgery, mental illness and behavioral problems, cardiac conditions, pediatrics and parenting, geriatric health and caregiving, drugs, medications, and natural remedies, women's health, and sports medicine and rehabilitation. Most of the essays are updated yearly, and about 300 are available in both Spanish and English.

Health Source Plus
EBSCO's Health Source Plus indexes over 400 professional and consumer health periodicals, covering nutrition, exercise, drugs and alcohol, and other topics in medicine and wellness, from 1984 to present. Many articles, and over 1,100 pamphlets produced by the U.S. federal government, are included in their entirety. The database is updated daily.

USP DI Volume II, Advice for the Patient
An online version of a well-established print resource (Sci Ref RM 300 .U834 2000 v.2), USP DI Volume II, Advice for the Patient covers over 11,000 prescription and over-the-counter medicines sold in the U.S. and Canada. Each entry in the database includes the generic drug name, brand names commonly used in the U.S. and Canada, standard uses of the drug, a brief description of its actions, special factors to consider before taking the drug (such as allergies, pregnancy, or co-existing medical problems), standard dosages, precautions, and side effects.

IBIDS
IBIDS indexes articles from over 2,900 journals, on dietary supplements, including vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and botanical and herbal products, from 1986 to present. Topics covered include the use, function, and production of supplements, metabolism, nutrient and chemical composition, and utilization surveys. Currently the database is compiled from the AGRIS International, AGRICOLA, and MEDLINE databases; the producers are negotiating with other database publishers to incorporate citations and abstracts from other sources as well. IBIDS is updated quarterly.

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