Suggested resources

for use in searching.

Patient information and experience

Suggested guidance and tools for creating patient information:

• Electronic Medicines Compendium (EMC)
• GOV.UK: Content design: planning, writing and managing content
• GOV.UK: Share Checklist
• Health literacy ‘how to’ guide
• Hemingway Editor app
• NHS Digital: Service manual content style guide
• NHS Inform: Other languages and formats for health information in different languages and formats, including BSL, Easy Read and translations
• Patient Information Forum: Translated health information – a quick guide
• Patient Information Forum: Trusted Information Creator PIF TICK
• Patient Information Forum: Using plain language in health information – a quick guide
• Patient Information Search
• Plain English Campaign: How to write in plain English

Health literacy

These resources are suggested for searches requiring information about health literacy:

eLearning for Healthcare: Health Literacy programme - free online learning course for all NHS staff on creation of an account.

Health Education England: Health literacy ‘how to’ guide”.  See under the Health Literacy Toolkit section.

Learn My Way: Improving your health online - a free online course.

The Patients Association: Finding trustworthy information online. 

The Reading Agency: health-related reading list.

The University of Southampton’s “Health Literacy” tool: http://healthliteracy.geodata.uk/.

Patient experience

These resources are suggested for searches requiring information about the experience of patients:

• The Health Foundation
• Healthtalk.org
• Health Unlocked
• The Patient Experience Library

Patient information sources

These sources are suggested for searches requiring patient information:

• NICE guidance - NG197 Shared decision making
• ClinicalKey (££): - see the “patient education” filter
• Easy Health: “online library of accessible health information with simple words, clear pictures and films”.
• EIDO Healthcare (££):
• NHS
• Patient

See the full directory of all UK registered charities see the Charity Commission and this list of UK patient charities.

Reputable registered UK-based charities for specific conditions, for example:

• British Heart Foundation (BHF)
• Cancer Research UK
• Mental Health Foundation
• Mind
• Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB):
• Royal Papworth NHS Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Library Service: Patient and Public Health Information 

Public health and wellbeing

These resources are suggested for searches requiring information about public health and wellbeing:

• Anne Gray’s Useful resources (no longer maintained)
• eLearning for Healthcare: Population Wellbeing Portal- free online learning courses for all NHS staff on creation of an account.
• HEE: COVID Wellbeing portal
• Local Government Association - covers a variety of topics relevant to local authorities, with keyword searches of case studies and reports
• NHS England: General practice case studies
• Northern Ireland’s Public Health Agency (PHA):
• Overton (££) - a database of policy documents.
• Public Health Scotland
• Public Health Wales
• UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA, formerly Public Health England)
• UKHSA: Knowledge and Library Services - for current awareness bulletins, evidence syntheses and briefings, impact stories, case studies, and a searchable register of UKHSA studies
• UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC): Recommendations - “summarises whether population screening is currently recommended for a condition or not, and if it is open to public comments at this time”.