Patient Education Resources

Welcome to our collection of consumer health materials!

In keeping with the JGH vision, the Patient Education Collection has made a commitment to supporting patient-centred care, which sees the patient acting as a partner in their care whose unique needs are heard and respected.

Several factors make it difficult to access reliable and up-to-date health information:

• lack of time
• too many deceptive or incorrect online sources
• lack of awareness of website quality indicators

The Patient and Family Resource Centre acts as an access point for health information that patients and their healthcare providers can rely on.  Here are some of our offerings:

PEN Database:

Contains reliable sources selected by JGH librarians and includes material created by JGH specifically for their patients. It also has the potential to help minimize the duplication of effort and encourage interdisciplinary collaboration.

Health Information Service (InfoRx):

Personal meeting with the PFRC librarian to search for relevant online health information.

Services for staff:

• Assistance in the creation of educational materials for patients.
• Editing for readability service to improve the readability of educational materials for patients.
• Finding reliable sources of information (web links) that can be integrated into patient documents.
• Free 1-hour training sessions on "Finding information to share with patients" or "Creating effective educational materials for patients".

To recommend material for the Patient Education Collection, please contact the Patient and Family Resource Librarian by email at  library.jgh@mail.mcgill.ca.

For information about how to submit material,  please go to the Submission page.

Books

When available, there is a link to Google Books in order to view the book online.

The Patient Education Collection holds books from the following sources:

● Hope & Cope:

Hope & Cope helps people cope with cancer. Guided by professional staff, cancer-experienced volunteers provide psychosocial support and practical resources that help patients regain a sense of control and well-being, reduce isolation and restore hope. Their collection of over 2000 records is included in the PEN Database.

For information about borrowing books and to see which are currently available, please call 514 340-8255 or visit E-730.1 (Pavilion E, Floor 7) and ask one of the volunteers for help.

● The Patient and Family Resource Centre (PFRC):

The PFRC can be found in the JGH Health Sciences Library located in A-200 (Pavilion A, Room 200). You can meet with a medical librarian who can help you and your family find the health information that you need. The PFRC also has a collection of books that you can borrow on a variety of health topics such as: general health, nutrition and lifestyle, alternative therapies, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, premature infants, caregiving and much more. PFRC Borrowing Policy.

JGH Publications

Includes materials created by JGH health professionals and medical librarians to meet the specific needs of JGH patients and families. Examples include:

• Handouts
• Pamphlets/Brochures
• Booklets
• Websites or Web Pages
• Video or Audio

Websites and Databases

Includes links to reliable and up-to-date consumer health websites as well as other online resources selected by a JGH librarian and/or JGH health professionals.

Multimedia and News

Includes links to videos and news stories on the health topics. Some of the content was created by JGH health professionals and staff.

Journals and Magazines

Includes articles from medical journals and consumer health magazines. Links to the printable full-text version are given when possible. When the full-text version of the article is not available, a JGH librarian can print out a copy for a fee.

All materials* must meet the following criteria:

* Books in the Hope & Cope Collection are selected by Hope & Cope volunteers. For information about how they make their selection please call 514-340-8255.

Meet the needs of our users

The information must be relevant to the care provided to patients and families by the hospital and it must support the needs of JGH clinics and departments.

Reliable and up-to-date

The information must have been reviewed and/or updated recently (ideally, within the last 5 years) and must cite its sources. It should be clear who wrote the information and possible to verify that they are a credible source (Does the author provide their credentials? Does the publisher have a good reputation?).

Support partnership

The information should support, not replace, the relationship that patients and their families /caregivers have with their health professionals.

Meet our standards for quality

The information should be well written and presented, without spelling mistakes and other errors.

Available in as many languages as possible

The information should be available in either French or English, as well as other languages when possible.

Easy-to-read

The information should be as easy-to-read as possible. Materials created by JGH health professionals and medical librarians must be edited for reading ease and be at a grade 6-8 level.

Websites are selected using the Health on the Net Foundation's  HonCode Principles. 

Please contact the Patient and Family Resource Librarian by email at  library.jgh@mail.mcgill.ca.