Introduction
The National Library of Medicine (NLM) gathers information that is supposed to help healthcare professionals and medical workers. These data can be used for treatment of patients or for the design of programs that can improve the situation in the country (Bennetzen, 2009, p. 661). One should discuss the peculiarities this information in more detail.
Types of data
It is possible to distinguish several types of data. In particular, one can speak about health statistics which shows the prevalence of various diseases or disorders in the country (The U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2013, unpaged). Furthermore, the NLM stores information about clinical trials which were conducted by various researchers. Apart from that, it is important to remember about data regarding occupational safety or environmental situation in different regions of the United States (The U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2013a, unpaged). Overall, these data can be separated into two major groups, namely quantitative and qualitative.
The quantitative data are represented by numerous statistical surveys conducted by various researchers. In turn, one can also speak about various case studies or news reports which can be regarded as qualitative data. Moreover, the data that are stored at the NLM can be related to various areas such as pharmacy, emergency, medicine, virology, neurology, occupational medicine, and so forth (The U.S. National Library of Medicine 2013b, unpaged).
Thus, one can say that this information can be divided into several broad categories of themes. This approach is of great benefit to people who use the library. These are the main aspects that can be identified. The information should enable readers look at various health issues from different perspectives. Nevertheless, this information should correspond to such criteria as relevance, accuracy, and the use of proper methods. These criteria are critical for the validity of data. This is one of the main points that can be made.
Sources of data
It is also important to discuss the data sources of the NLM. They can be divided into two groups, namely primary and secondary sources (The U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2013a, unpaged). As far as primary sources are concerned, one can mostly speak about empirical studies, such as clinical trials that are aimed at evaluating the efficiency of a certain drug or treatment method. Furthermore, one can speak about reports of the most recent events or case studies. On the whole, primary sources involve mostly original research. In turn, it is important to mention secondary sources such as surveys of empirical studies.
These surveys are supposed to tell medical workers and policy-makers about the health situation in the country. In addition, one should speak about the reports provided by governmental and public agencies. Secondary sources that are available at the NLM give a summary or overview of the original studies. These are the main distinctions that should be kept in mind, especially by a person who uses sources from the NLM. Despite these differences, one can say that the data stored at the NLM is reliable, up-to-date, and relevant.
Conclusion
Overall, one can argue that the National Library of Medicine provides the information on various types of issues and topics. These data can be both quantitative and qualitative; furthermore, they can be derived from various sources such as empirical studies or surveys of literature. They can greatly benefit researchers, policy-makers, and students.
Appendixes: Outline for the Future Presentation
- The brief overview of the information available at the NLM
- The types of data available at the NLM
- The sources of data
- The use of information that the NLM provides.
Reference List
Bennetzen, J. (2009). Handbook of Maize: Genetics and Genomics. New York: Springer.
The U.S. National Library of Medicine. (2013a). Data, Tools and Statistics. Web.
The U.S. National Library of Medicine. (2013b). Databases, Resources, and APIs. Web.