Form 1 NLM Medline Plus RML User Survey Instrument

Introduction

Thank you for participating in this survey from the MedlinePlus team at the National Library of
Medicine. We are collecting feedback on the current design of MedlinePlus health topic pages. Your
input is important for our redesign project. We will use the results of this survey when developing
new designs for the health topic pages.
OMB Control Number: 0925-0648
Expiration Date: March 31, 2018
Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 15 minutes per
response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering
and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. An
agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of
information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. Send comments regarding this
burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for
reducing this burden, to: NIH, Project Clearance Branch, 6705 Rockledge Drive, MSC 7974,
Bethesda, MD 20892-7974, ATTN: PRA (0925-0648). Do not return the completed form to this
address.

1

* Which MedlinePlus.gov site do you use most often to find information for your patrons?
MedlinePlus in English
MedlinePlus en español
I use both the English and Spanish sites about equally
I don't use MedlinePlus

Note: Respondents selecting this option will exit the survey

2

* Which resources on MedlinePlus do you use or recommend most often for your patrons? (check all that
apply)
Drug information
Email list signups
Encyclopedia articles or images
Guides, such as finding good health information on the Web or understanding medical words
Health topic pages (such as Diabetes Type 2 or Zika Virus )
Health or surgery videos
Herb and supplement information
Links on health topic pages to relevant sites
Links to clinical trials
Links to journal articles indexed on PubMed.gov
Materials in other languages (other than Spanish)
Medical dictionary
NIH MedlinePlus magazine or Salud magazine articles
News articles
Patient handouts
The MedlinePlus site search box
Other(s) (please specify)

Please give some details about your response (optional)

3

* I find these sources reliable for good health information (check all that apply)
NIH Institutes and Centers (for example, the National Cancer Institute)
American Academy of Family Physicians (familydoctor.org)
Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (www.mayoclinic.org)
Nemours Foundation (kidshealth.org)
Other (please specify)

Please give some details about your response (optional)

4

Examples of links on a health topic page:

* I use these types of links on health topic pages
Frequently
Sometimes
Never
I'm not sure

Please give some details about your response (optional)

Note: Respondents selecting "Never" or "I’m not sure" will skip the next question.

5

Examples of links on a health topic page:

* When I’m looking at a list of links on a health topic page, I use the following to decide how useful the link
will be to my patrons (rank all 5 in order)

Link title (such as “Life After a Heart Attack”)

Organization (such as “American Heart Association”)

NIH logo

Other label (such as NIHSeniorHealth, Easy-to-Read, Video, etc.)

Other factor(s) (specify below if applicable)

Please give some details about your response (optional)

6

Table of Contents box from a health topic page:

* I use the Table of Contents box on health topic pages
Frequently
Sometimes
Never
I'm not sure

Please give some details about your response (optional)

7

Examples of subcategories: "Start Here" or "Diagnosis and Tests"

* I use subcategories on health topic pages to locate information
Frequently
Sometimes
Never
I'm not sure

Please give some details about your response (optional)

Note: Respondents selecting "Never" or "I’m not sure" will skip the next question.

8

* I typically use the following subcategories on health topic pages to locate information for my patrons (check
all that apply)
Diagnosis and Tests
Living With
Patient Handouts
Prevention and Risk Factors
Start Here
Summary
Symptoms
Treatments and Therapies
Videos and Tutorials
Other(s) (please specify)

Please give some details about your response (optional)

9

* Which MedlinePlus health topics (or groups of topics) do you visit most often?
Examples of health topics: Diabetes Type 2 or Zika Virus
Examples of topic groups: Cancers or Pregnancy and Reproduction

* I am more likely to direct patrons to health topics than other MedlinePlus.gov resources, such as the
encyclopedia or health videos.
True, I’m more likely to recommend health topics than other resources
False, I’m less likely to recommend health topics than other resources
It depends

Please give some details about your response (optional)

10

* What I find useful about MedlinePlus health topic pages is

* I think MedlinePlus health topic pages would be improved if

11

Thank you for your time!

Thank you for participating in this survey. We appreciate your feedback as we work
on redesigning MedlinePlus topic pages to better serve our users.

The MedlinePlus Team

12