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Patient Counseling and Education

  Sample User Question Comments/Analysis Step By Step Guide Additional Tips  

Guide your patient in locating authoritative and reputable consumer health information.

Sample User Question back to top

 
Your patient has a 6-year old son who has been diagnosed with Duchenne's Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) and is on prednisone. Her co-worker has helped her do research and they have found a study that promotes Myoblast therapy. She has found an online vitamin store that sells Myo-Blast CSP3. The Website states that the "inside scoop" is that this will grow muscle tissue. To what resources can you point her for more information on the topic?
  

Comments / Analysis back to top

The Internet has made it easier for patients to do their own health research. Government and health care agencies, hospitals and organizations provide reliable consumer health information, and health care professionals can guide their patients to these resources. In this particular example, corticosteroid remains the treatment of choice (GeneReviews). Experiments have been conducted with myoblast transfers, but these have been disappointing (OMIM). However, there are ongoing clinical trials in the management of DMD. See Clinicaltrials.gov for trials that are currently recruiting.

Step By Step Guide back to top

  1. GeneReviews (GeneClinics) - review current clinical management of disease


    • Click on GeneReviews box located on top of page
    • Enter duchene muscular dystrophy in search box
    • Click on green Reviews option
    • Click on "management" located in side bar panel
    • Note that corticosteroid therapy remains the treatment of choice for affected individuals and that you have a quick means to reach the literature in MEDLINE through the purple bracketed references.

  2. OMIM - review paragraph summary of Mendell's 1995 myoblast transfer clinical trial published in The New England Journal of Medicine


    • In the introductory remarks and in each resource, it was noted how "hot buttons" allow one to link seamlessly from one resource to the next
    • Click on "Molecular Genetics" in the side bar
    • Scroll down to the "OMIM Entries for Dystrophinopathies
    • Click on the blue hypertext link, 310200, MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY, PSEUDOHYPERTROPHIC PROGRESSIVE, DUCHENNE AND BECKER TYPES
    • Click on "Clinical Management" located in the left hand toolbar
    • Read the paragraph on Mendell's 1995 research.
      Remember that the lightbulb icon will link you directly to relevant PubMed search results on myoblast transfer therapy for muscular dystrophy

  3. MedlinePlus - guide patient to this authoritative resource and, also, look for current clinical trials


    • Type duchenne muscular dystrophy in the search box located in upper left hand corner
    • Click on the "Search MedlinePlus" button
      • Tip: Note the variety of information and resources available from MedlinePlus

  4. Genetics Home Reference - this online encyclopedia will give your patient a quick review of the latest information available on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy


    • Type duchenne muscular dystrophy in the search box
    • Enter on the green GO! button
    • Two results are retrieved: condition and gene
      • Tip:
      • Note the additional links provided in the left hand box

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