Thanks to a deal between the British Medical Journal and Department of Health millions of patients will be able to get expert advice on common medical conditions from NHS Direct Online. Under the new deal information from the BMJ’s ‘Best Treatments’ will now be included on NHS Direct Online. Over six million individuals visited NHS Direct Online last year. The deal means that patients will have the same information available to them as their doctors, written in clear and jargon-free language, which will help them to make informed choices about their healthcare. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. The Journal’s ‘Best Treatments’ provide information on the most common health conditions, including explanations of the pros and cons of surgery procedures, details of other treatments available, and advice on care before and after the operation. It also offers information on treatments for chronic conditions, like asthma and diabetes, ranking them according to effectiveness and highlighting the risks and benefits of each. Health Minister Rosie Winterton said: "We know that patients would like more information to support them in making decisions about their healthcare. This is an important step in providing patients with the resources they need to make informed choices." Best Treatments is based on Clinical Evidence, a print and web-based resource used by health professionals which tells them which treatments work and which don’t, based on the best research evidence available. There are plans to translate some of the information into minority community languages. The new information resource builds on the information already available on the NHS Direct Online website. This includes a self-help guide to treating common health problems at home; an encyclopaedia covering hundreds of health topics; frequently asked questions; a searchable database of local health services, and an online service for requesting health information.
