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For health professionals

• Use womenshealth.gov to help your patients
• How to order publications for patients

Use womenshealth.gov to help your patients

More and more, people are encouraged to be wise health consumers. Although sources of health information are abundant, the credibility and quality of this information is often questionable. At the same time, health literacy — the ability to understand health information and use it to make good decisions about health and medical care — is a significant problem in the United States. About one-third of Americans have limited health literacy. This can make it hard for them to:

• Locate health care providers and services
• Fill out forms
• Provide a personal and family health history
• Understand how lifestyle can affect health
• Get preventive care, screening tests, and immunizations
• Manage chronic health problems
• Follow instructions to use medicines

Health professionals can help their patients become wise health consumers and take better care of themselves by directing them to reliable sources of health information that are up-to-date and easy to read. That’s where womenshealth.gov comes in. Here, you will find up-to-date health information written in plain language that you can share with your patients, as well as a host of other resources.

Here is an overview of what womenshealth.gov can offer your patients:

• Free health information on more than 800 topics, including special Web sections on featured topics of importance to women, more than 100 easy-to-read fact sheets to download and print, checklists and health tools, and links to organizations and resources that women can trust. We also offer health information and resources for special populations, including minority women, women with disabilities, men, and Spanish speakers.
• A variety of print publications, including breastfeeding and prevention guides in English and Spanish, our annual health calendar, and The Healthy Woman: A Complete Guide for All Ages. Most can be viewed online or ordered at no cost.
• For your breastfeeding patients, our toll-free National Breastfeeding Helpline offers breastfeeding peer counselors, trained by La Leche League, who can give support and answer questions in English and Spanish.
• English- and Spanish-speaking health information specialists who can refer your patients to health information on our site or other appropriate and trustworthy health organizations.
• Health efforts and programs, which help to build awareness of targeted health issues, such as lupus and heart disease, and empower women to take action.
• For your young patients or the mothers you see, girlshealth.gov helps girls ages 10-16 learn about health, growing up, and other topics that adolescent girls are concerned about or may face. The site uses positive, supportive, and nonthreatening messages to motivate adolescent girls to choose healthy behaviors.

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How to order publications for patients

Many, but not all, publications from womenshealth.gov can be ordered free of charge. Look for this symbol throughout the site to learn more about requesting printed copies of materials. . For descriptions and access to our materials, please visit our publications list.

Content last updated April 1, 2011.

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