Join us on March 9 from 1 to 3:30 p.m. at the Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library to learn how to do your own medical research on the Internet. Tim McFadden, the Library Director, will be the featured speaker at this important, free educational event. This will be a “show and tell” format.

You’ll learn: which online websites you can trust to provide accurate, unbiased information; how to discover whether the information you’ve found is trustworthy, accurate and current; how best to save and share your online research with others in your family; how best to share your findings and questions with your physician and/or your specialist.

Do you, or someone you love, have symptoms you’re concerned about? Or, do you know what condition you have, but would like to be sure you know about all the treatment options? Today, it’s easier than ever before for patients to do their own medical research using the many resources on the Internet.

There is mounting evidence that today’s physicians, even specialists, don’t have the time to stay abreast of all the medical research that’s out there. There are over 23 million medical articles indexed on Medline alone, with new articles published each year.

A patient with a personal concern and with the motivation and the time to scour the Internet for the most recent information about diagnoses and treatment options, can then provide what she’s discovered to her physician so they can discuss options.

Members of the Boothbay Region Empowered Patients Study Group will be on hand to help you research topics/diseases of concern to you, and to debunk the mysteries of using the library’s computers and Internet access to do your own research. The Empowered Patients study group was formed after e-Patient Dave deBronkart gave a Wellness Foundation-sponsored presentation in July 2014, about how becoming an empowered and engaged patient literally saved his life! Dave deBronkart’s physician, Dr. Daniel Z. Sands, offers these rules for smart Web use, in their book, "Let Patients Help!":

“Ask your doctor if she has any suggestions on where to start looking — she may know of some useful sites. Learn how to identify good vs. bad health websites. Don’t take an online diagnosis too seriously until confirmed by a healthcare professional. Let your doctor know which websites you find useful — she may want to look at them and refer other patients to them.”