Google Quick Tip #21

Eh... did you notice that Google has slipped in a tiny link that sits just above the left side of the results of your search?

GOOGLE QUICK TIP #21

After weeks of ignoring the link that looks like this: , I finally got around to clicking on the "+ Show options" link to see what was hiding under there.

Well, what to my wondering eyes did appear was a stroke of genius that I've been waiting for from Google for ages! There is a list of options to limit your results. It's fantastic! When you click on the Wonderwheel category, you get a fun way to visually search your results via a concept map that re-sorts itself when you click on a topic.

Ooh - exciting! Have a ball exploring these new hidden features!

Clinical Cases and Images blog

The Clinical Cases and Images blog is a "free case-based curriculum of clinical medicine." I stumbled upon this resource three years ago and have recommended it as a reference to students for finding clinical images that are accompanied by helpful discussions.

The blog was created in 2005 and is a joint effort of physicians at the Cleveland Clinic and the Case Western Reserve School of Medicine. It is well organized by specialties along the top menu bar.

The topics covered include:

Allergy & Immunology -- Cardiology -- Pulmonology -- Gastroenterology -- Nephrology -- Endocrinology -- Hematology & Oncology -- Rheumatology -- Infectious Diseases -- Neuorology -- Geriatrics -- Pain Management

Other categories offered provide more information and links in the right menu bar:

-- Physical Examination Videos
-- Procedure Guides Step-by-Step
-- Electrocardiograms, X-rays, CT scans
-- Clinical Images from NEJM
-- Clinical Cases in Test Format (test your knowledge based on details of a case)

In the lower part of the right menu bar is a link to many of the images found in the blog that are housed on the photo hosting site Flickr - http://www.flickr.com/photos/clinicalcases/.

The comments made on the content are helpful discussions. An encouraging feature to note is that all entries have a "Published" and "Last Updated" dates that you'll find by scrolling down the page. This can help you evaluate the usefulness and timeliness of the content.

To get a sampling of what you can learn from this well done blog, take a look at EKGs with Dr. Koch: It's Not Only Educational It's Also Fun!

Diagnosaurus app for your handheld device

If you've used the Diagnosaurus tool for (DDx) differential diagnosis in the AccessMedicine database, you'll know how handy it can be. Now, it can actually be "handy" literally in the palm of your hand.

Diagnosaurus allows you to browse by symptom, disease, organ system, or view all of the 1000+ differential diagnoses. There are versions of this tool for the iPhone/iPod Touch, as well as PDA's.

iPhone app is $0.99 from the App Store on iTunes. The PDA version is a free download.

If you'd like more advice on finding medical apps for mobile devices, please visit this site.