Harvard Medical School and Simon & Schuster to Publish Health Guide

Posted on March 22, 1999

The Harvard Medical School and Simon & Schuster Inc. have announced plans for a special website that will continuously update The Harvard Medical School Family Health Guide (October 1999, $40.00, 1,192 pages) as new information becomes available. The site will be launched in conjunction with the publication of the book in October and is free. It is the first family health guide to offer continuing updates keyed to pages of the book.

"With Harvard Medical School, we are working to change the very nature of how we publish family health guides," said Carolyn Reidy, President of Simon & Schuster. "As medical information changes constantly, it was critical we find a way to update the book continuously. The combination of book and website will bring the latest knowledge of 7,000 of the world's best doctors and researchers from every field of medicine into the American home. It is the perfect project to combine traditional publishing and the latest technology to create a powerful tool for health consumers."

Each chapter will be reviewed and updated continuously by the Harvard Medical School Editorial Advisory Board. Updates will include breaking information about the causes of illness; new research about health maintenance and disease prevention; new diagnostic tests and improvements in existing tests; new treatments -- from the inclusion of drugs upon FDA approval to new surgical procedures; updated charts that show the benefits and risks of various tests and treatments, the most up-to-date directory of health organizations and support groups; and new information about drug interactions with other drugs, foods, and with herbs.

The special The Harvard Medical School Family Health Guide site will also include more images of diseases and conditions; more Q&A checklists to prepare for a doctor's appointment -- checklists that can even be printed and taken to the appointment; and first aid charts that can be downloaded and printed. The site will also provide access to selected content from Harvard Medical School newsletters and Special Reports.