4:05 p.m., July 2, 2008--The University of Delaware Library announces a new electronic resource, Natural Standard, has been added to the library databases at [www.lib.udel.edu/db]. Natural Standard describes itself as “the authority on integrative medicine.”

Natural Standard, the organization, is an international research collaboration that aggregates and synthesizes data on complementary and alternative therapies. Using a comprehensive methodology and reproducible grading scales, information is created that is evidence-based, consensus-based and peer-reviewed, tapping into the collective expertise of a multidisciplinary editorial board. The mission of this collaboration is to provide objective, reliable information that aids clinicians, patients and health care institutions to make more informed and safer therapeutic decisions.

Natural Standard consists of these sections:

• Foods, Herbs and Supplements;
• Health and Wellness;
• Comparative Effectiveness;
• Medical Conditions;
• Brand Names; and
• Interactive Tools.

For each therapy covered by Natural Standard, a research team systematically gathers scientific data and expert opinions. Validated rating scales are used to evaluate the quality of available evidence. Information is incorporated into comprehensive monographs, which are designed to facilitate clinical decision-making. All monographs undergo blinded editorial and peer review prior to inclusion in Natural Standard databases.

The electronic library of the UD Library, which is available 24/7 at [www.lib.udel.edu], provides access for faculty, students and staff of UD to a rich array of online library resources including DELCAT, databases, full-text information, electronic journals and newspapers, Subject Guides to the Internet, the Institutional Repository and much more.