MedInfoNow FAQs

What is MedInfoNow™?
MedInfoNow™ is the most time-efficient, cost effective way for healthcare professionals to keep up with the literature in their fields. Its Weekly Literature Update email quickly summarizes what’s new in the journal and book literature in your selected topics, and its intuitive search tools help you instantly get to literature-based answers to clinical problems you confront daily.

What makes MedInfoNow™ unique?
MedInfoNow™ is both an update and instant-answer tool based on Medline®.
You pick your topics from the hundreds that Medical Librarians have researched and selected for MedInfoNow™ and:

• we email you the latest journal article citations and abstracts in those areas each week or
• at the MedInfoNow™ web site, use our intuitive, easy-to-use search tools to quickly find the articles that give you the answers you need now.

MedInfoNow™ is the only update service that combines Medline updates with comprehensive news and reviews of print and electronic books in the health sciences from Doody’s Review Service™.

How can I make MedInfoNow™ work for me?
Follow this three-step process to get an overview of what’s new in your areas of interest in less than 10 minutes a week:

1. Establish a profile that accurately and completely reflects the specialties and topics you are interested in to ensure that you get the greatest benefit from MedInfoNow™.  With a finely honed profile, MedInfoNow™ goes to work for you and pays its greatest dividends. Look for the “Modify Your Profile” link prominently displayed in the Weekly Literature Update newsletter and on every page of the MedInfoNow™ website.
2. Open the Weekly Literature Update e-mail when it arrives on Friday to find out what’s new in your selected areas of interest.
3. At the MedInfoNow™ web site, with access to the Medline and Doody’s Review Service databases, use our intuitive search software to find the information you need to answer the clinical questions you have.

Why aren’t all of the articles in MedInfoNow™ available for free?
The publishers of the journal articles control access to the full text. Some publishers make them available for free immediately; others have an embargo on the article until it is 6 or 12 months old; still others require pay per view throughout the life of the article. About 19% of the articles in the Medline database at any time are free. MedInfoNow™ highlights the free, full-text articles.

Do you publish bad book reviews, or only favorable ones?
MedInfoNow™ publishes all reviews – good and bad — from Doody’s Review Service. Since 1993, Doody’s Review Service has been the industry standard for expert, objective reviews of newly published books in the health sciences. Of the over 25,000 reviews published since then, approximately 5% received 5 stars and 5% received one star from reviewers. Around 20% of the reviews were either 2 stars or 4 stars, and the largest group, 50%, fell into the 3-star category.

Why doesn’t my society give this to me for free?
Several societies license MedInfoNow™ for their members. (Click here for a list of our licensing partners). Members of our licensing partners receive a substantial discount from the $89.95 annual subscription fee for MedInfoNow™.