Common Questions

Do I have to visit the Resource Center in person to use its services?

No. The Resource Center is located inside the NYU Cancer Institute 160 East 34th St
Room 103. Many people prefer to phone in their information request, or send it by email.

If a request for information is made via phone or email how will I receive it?

"Ready Reference" questions (short dictionary definitions, brief factual questions) that are phoned in can be answered on the spot. More detailed or complex requests take more time to prepare. Information packets can be:

• mailed (this service is only available to NYU Medical Center patients, their family members and caregivers)
• faxed (this service is only available to NYU Medical Center patients, their family members and caregivers)
• delivered, to a patient's room or nurses' station
• picked up in the Resource Center
• emailed
  

What will an information packet contain?

Packets of printed information may contain any combination of pamphlets, factsheets, photocopied encyclopedia entries or other passages from books, printouts from websites, or articles.

Emailed responses may contain brief, quoted passages from dictionaries or reference works, and/or links to selected web pages. Some articles and abstracts can be emailed directly.

Most information is at the consumer level, that is, written for the layperson. Sometimes only clinical-level information is available on a topic, so that is what is provided.

How do I know the information I'm getting is accurate?

The Patient & Family Resource Center has a consumer health librarian and supervised volunteers who are trained to identify current, reliable health information. However, they do not interpret the information. The information provided is for educational purposes only, and patrons are urged to address any questions they may have to their health care providers.

I did my own research on the web, and found a citation for a clinical article in a journal held by NYU School of Medicine's Ehrman Medical Library. Can I go there myself to get it?

No. Ehrman Library is closed to patients and the general public. However, the Patient & Family Resource Center can retrieve the article for you.

Can I go to the Resource Center just to check my email?

Certainly. NYU Medical Center ambulatory inpatients, their family members and caregivers who have web-based email accounts such as Yahoo or Hotmail, are welcome to read and send messages.  

The mission of the Patient & Family Resource Center is to provide medical and consumer health information to the NYU Medical Center community, to support informed health care decisions, and to promote wellness.

The medical information provided is for educational purposes only. It is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult your physician or health care provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.