Fun with blood, bone up on fractures

By Carol Lindsay, RN
July 1, 2003

Did you know there are people with the blood type U negative? Learn about blood trivia on the American Red Cross's Games & More Web page. This site is packed with games and quizzes for those who want to test their knowledge of blood products and how blood transfusions work.

In the Donor Tag game, animated characters walk across your computer screen as you try to pick potential donors. A memory game tests your knowledge of the history of the American Red Cross and a blood trivia game called "Are you my blood type?" asks players to match the donor type with the patient's blood type.

Find-a-Word games and a coloring book can be downloaded as well.

Drug watch

The Institute for Safe Medication Practices is a nonprofit organization that works with health care practitioners, institutions, regulatory agencies, professional organizations and the pharmaceutical industry to provide education about adverse drug events and information about how to prevent them. The site provides recent articles on medication safety as well as current and archived hazard alerts.

The institute works closely with the FDA MedWatch program to report problems to the medical profession. This site allows visitors to access medical product safety information, report adverse drug reactions and register to have clinically important safety alerts delivered via e-mail.

Break time

The Wheeless' Textbook of Orthopaedics is arranged so that topics can be accessed in a variety of ways, including an alphabetized list. The site provides extensive information on the various types of fractures. Click on a specific fracture for its description, pictures of the fracture and X-rays. A treatment section on each fracture describes the types of X-rays that should be taken, the various types of surgical and nonsurgical treatments and even the patient's position in the OR during surgery. The site links to laboratory tests on orthopedic problems, normal and abnormal lab values and what the values indicate.

Deep vein thrombosis

The University of Massachusetts Medical School's Center for Outcomes Research has a resource for information regarding deep vein thrombosis that presents a best-practices manual for preventing DVT and pulmonary embolism.

Much of the content deals with identifying risk factors and implementing strategies to prevent complications. One source reports that half of all pulmonary emboli and two-thirds of all deep vein thrombosis cases are preventable. The manual provides information regarding prevention and treatment of DVT along with up-to-date research and studies. One of the studies is looking for a link between venous thrombosis and genetics.

The Deep Vein Thrombosis Hub is an additional source for information on DVT. This site provides links to full-text articles, clinical trials and research projects.

Musculoskeletal health

The mission of the National Association of Orthopaedic Nurses is to advance the quality of musculoskeletal health care by promoting excellence in research, education and nursing practice. The association's site provides information for nurses interested in earning the Orthopedic Nurse Certified credential. Visitors can earn continuing education unit credits. Testing and certification fees range from $10 to $25 per certificate. However, the information can be accessed at no cost.