Log In boasts "A free, comprehensive, authoritative, up-to-date health information Web site from the world's largest medical library, the National Library of Medicine of the National Institutes of Health. "Health Topics Information on conditions, diseases & staying well. "Interactive Tutorials More than 165 slideshows with sound & pictures "Drug Information About your prescription & over-the-counter medications. "Medical Encyclopedia Includes pictures & diagrams. "Directories Find doctors, dentists and hospitals. "Dictionary Spellings and definitions of medical words. "Latest Research is provided from MEDLINE and the ClinicalTrials.gov database "Your local public library has computers to access the Internet at no cost. A librarian also can help you find answers to health questions and assist you in searching MEDLINEplus.gov." Log In explains themselves thus: "WebMD has created an organization that we believe fulfills the promise of health information on the Internet. We provide credible information, supportive communities, and in-depth reference material about health subjects that matter to you. We are a source for original and timely health information as well as material from well known content providers. "The WebMD content staff blends award-winning expertise in journalism, content creation, community services, expert commentary, and medical review to give our users a variety of ways to find what they are looking for. "And that, we believe, requires dedicated, full-time staff professionals with state-of-the-art expertise in: "• Health news for the public • Creating and maintaining up-to-date medical reference content databases • Medical imagery, graphics, and animation • Communities • Live web events • User experience • Interactive tools "Our board-certified physicians, award-winning journalists, and trained community moderators are solely dedicated to your daily information experience on WebMD. Our content staff includes individuals who hold advanced degrees in journalism, medical illustration, health communications, clinical informatics, nursing, and medicine. WebMD verifies the qualifications of all medical professionals on the site; including health professionals, experts, editorial professionals and contributors with a specialty license. Health Professionals, including those who write, review and edit our editorial content as well as Community Experts, undergo credential verification by a third party. "Most of us at WebMD Health have spent our entire careers dedicated to helping people find the health and medical information, support, and services they need -- even before there was an Internet! We are dedicated to providing quality health information and to upholding the integrity of our editorial process. "As serious as we are about credibility, we also know that at times, health information can and should be engaging, exciting, and entertaining. "We pride ourselves in knowing our audience's needs and delivering the most appropriate experience. We know that there is a difference between using a health site for health "performance" issues (e.g., flat abs) vs. health research needs (e.g., "What is type 2 diabetes?") vs. community support (e.g., "Does anyone else feel like me?") vs. e-commerce. Our mission is to fulfill all these needs in the most appropriate ways possible. "We are committed to improving our site. We will continue to publish even more content, communities, and services to help make your life better, to help you find your way when faced with healthcare decisions, and to help you feel better about your health and that of your family." What differences do YOU see?
I use both sites casually, and I don't really see major differences. I'm sure someone that has used them more in-depth can point out specific differences. I find both sites useful, although I might use WebMD slightly more often than Medline Plus. I feel like you can probably trust the information from Medline Plus more because it's a government website. Really though, they're both useful resources that millions of people use, and I include myself in those figures.
Both sites are good resources, I have used them both and really do not see that much difference between them. I use MedLine more when I am looking at medicine uses, side affects and alternatives. When I need to know what a physical injury does to the body I will use the WebMed site mostly.
I have stumbled upon both sites when I am researching, and I don't really notice any difference between them. I always stumble upon Webmd though. I have come across some sites that charge you to consult a professional, so good thing there are these free resources.
I'd say WebMD is better because whenever I'm looking for health-related information I can trust, I've found it on the site. While this site and others like it can be great sources of information it's not wise to use that info for self-diagnosis because if you make a mistake it can cost you a lot and it might not just be money you lose.
I stick to WebMD myself. When researching illnesses and treatments, it's really easy to end up convinced you're about to drop dead at any moment so I like to keep the reading to a minimum. I find WebMD answers all my questions in one go.
I have only ever tried WebMD, and I like the amount of information and question and answers there is there. I will rarely go to these websites because there is a lot of lies and misunderstandings in the internet when it comes to health, diseases, medicines and things like that. You can easily get more confused.
WebMD, primarily because whenever I'm searching for health related topics it seems to be the site that floats to the top more often. That's not to say I'm a lazy searcher, but Google is usually pretty good at cherry-picking the best content. Medline Plus is okay, though. All that said, I'd still rather get my doctor's opinion on most health-related issues than take the internet's word on anything.
