This post is related to something I saw on TV, which is, an information resource so I can talk about it here.
Before I begin though, I have to let you know of an unforgettable quote from my friend and volunteer's blog. She writes, "I say thank-you and more than that, maybe next time you'll let me have my own ideas." Her blog is http://xxlikeitorleaveit.blogspot.com
You can find the link on the left hand side of this page.
Okay, so now I can talk about TV. I am not a usual watcher of TV except for the Olympics that just finished but one evening I sat down, just before the closing ceremony of the Olympics was going to air. And, of course, the national news was on.
So, big deal right? Honestly, I don't really watch the news, I like to listen to NPR but that's a different story. So, anyways... the news is on, blah, blah, blah and I'm lying on my catch listening to story after story of news coverage that is negative and maybe you could say paranoid? I don't know that's my opinion, but it was like, all of a sudden, I felt inadequate about something. Then, and this is the ta-dah, the commercials. No joke, almost every, if not all the commercials, were dedicated to pharmaceuticals advertising their newest drug. It's odd with those commercials. You never really know what sort of treatment the drug is for. A little misleading, but go ahead and talk to your doctor about it, right.
So why would I bring this up? How does this have to do with libraries. A lot actually. Especially if you want to be informed of good resources for health information. Now if you are a hypochondriac sort, I wouldn't use this because you will think you have every disease or illness that exists. I'll put out one really good source for now... http://medlineplus.gov It's called Medline Plus. It is a creation of the National Library of Medicine and the National Institute of Health. It's consumer-based health information, which means it was and is made for the public.
Okay, let me go back to the commercials. You may find this interesting or not. When I was in library school I took a class at the law school called advanced legal research. Now, let me tell you first that libraries at law schools are completely different in so many ways; yes there are other types of librarians out there.
In the course I had to do a project on the prescribing of off-label drug use. So this means... a doctor/physician prescribes a drug to you for an illness, condition, whatever, but it has never been approved by the FDA (federal drug administration) for this use. Some say this could be illegal or malpractice (thus where the law came in.) Physicians actually do prescribe certain drugs that have not been approved by the FDA for this specific condition, but they do it because of their experience and knowledge. However, it has been known that pharmaceutical companies have been known to push specific drugs onto younger docs or just docs. And sometimes, it has been noted that drugs pushed are pushed for off-label use. Well, the pharmaceutical company can't really do that, or they're not supposed to.
Anyways... going back to the commercials. When a pharmaceutical company advertises it's drugs on television you better believe they are approved by the FDA for that use. They are. But it's funny... you see I used to be a medical librarian and I remember having to do research for this one doc on this drug called Abilify. This medication is considered a anti-psychotic medication. But now, five or more years later, I see that this medication is now being commercialized as an add on to an anti-depressant. Weird huh. So, five years ago, if this drug were advertised as an add on to a anti-depressant, a law suit would have been slammed on the drug company for advertising the use of an off-label drug. It's weird, I know. If you've read this far.
But now, maybe you see how Librarians and Information Professionals play a role in this research process. They find the information that these doctors, lawyers, and scientists need.
Just goes to show you... you better know your information... and more importantly... how you display it to the public.
Does that make sense?
And seriously, can the news be a little more negative? No wonder why pharmaceutical companies put their ads in these slots.
-A highly wired lady.
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