Elsevier announces free online medical information and clinical reference support for Japan earthquake relief efforts

- New Radiation Sickness Resource Pages Added to MD Consult and First Consult; Company Participating in National Library of Medicine Emergency Access Initiative

Elsevier (http://www.elsevier.com/), a world leader in health care and medical publishing and online solutions, today announced that following the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan on March 11, the company is providing free access to its primary online clinical reference tools - MD Consult and First Consult - to all IPs originating from Japan. Free access will be available through April, 2011. This effort is part of a new initiative to provide easily accessible focused resources in response to world events that present difficult medical challenges.

MD Consult (http://www.mdconsult.com/) is an authoritative combination of clinically relevant information to give medical professionals an answer to their clinical questions, stay abreast of recent developments, and educate patients, resulting in better patient care and improved outcomes. First Consult (http://www.firstconsult.com/) is Elsevier's point-of-care content that is integrated within MD Consult and leverages evidence-based medical information to deliver answers that are trusted, quick, and accessible.

MD Consult has also added a recommended resource topic page for Radiation Sickness (http://www.mdconsult.com/recommended-results/RADIATIONSICKNESS.lp), which is linked from http://www.mdconsult.com.

If access to a desktop computer is problematic, MD Consult has a mobile version, and First Consult has an iPhone/iPad app (s content in areas that have limited or no internet connectivity.

Emergency Access Initiative

Elsevier is also providing free online access to medical information for healthcare professionals in Japan through the Emergency Access Initiative (EAI)s earthquake in Haiti.