ExpertMapper Help: FAQ

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About the ExpertMapper service
What does ExpertMapper do?

ExpertMapper ranks persons and institutions according to their demonstrated expertise in specific medical diseases, conditions, and treatments.

With ExpertMapper you can find, for your specific problem, the highest-ranked experts anywhere in the world, in your part of the country, or in your state or city. You can even narrow the listings to rank just the experts who are at one specific medical center.

Why is it called "ExpertMapper"?

ExpertMapper gives you detailed information about the geographical location of experts -- their countries, cities, and institutions. With this map of experts, you can choose which ones to contact for help with your problem.

Why do I need ExpertMapper?

You should try ExpertMapper if:

ExpertMapper will quickly point you to people who are experts in your problem.

What do I need to run ExpertMapper?

A modern web browser connected to the Internet. The system has not been checked on older browsers.

What is the best way to use ExpertMapper?

Our 2-Minute Tour shows you the the types of questions ExpertMapper can answer.

The Picking Clinical Experts page will help you use the information ExpertMapper provides.

The Limitations of ExpertMapper page will help you understand the limits of the information.

About "Experts"
What is an expert?

We define an expert as someone who demonstrates their expertise and knowledge of a field by writing articles that are published in the medical literature. These are the experts who try to teach the world their knowledge.

ExpertMapper will not identify so-called experts who do not publish their knowledge and experiences.

How are experts ranked?

Experts are ranked according to the quality and quantity of their publications.

Details: ExpertMapper examines all medical publications that are indexed in the National Library of Medicine's MEDLINE database. We rank the expertise of each author according to the number and type of articles that each expert has authored on the specific condition, disease, or treatment of interest to you.

This ranking method identifies experts who have a variety of backgrounds. For example, experts that we identify my be ranked highly because they

Does ExpertMapper locate expert physicians?

You can use ExpertMapper to locate a physician to take care of yourself or a loved one. Many of the experts that we identify are expert physicians who concentrate their professional lives on managing the illnesses of sick people.

However, it is important to realize that not all the experts that ExpertMapper identifies are clinical experts who can take care of patients.

For example:

See also our discussion of the Limitations of ExpertMapper.

I understand that ExpertMapper includes many different types of experts. How can I tell which experts specialize in caring for patients?

ExpertMapper does not automatically identify which experts specialize in taking care of patients. But you should be able to use the information provided by ExpertMapper to find such experts. See our Picking Clinical Experts page.

Another interesting point: Even experts who don't take care of patients often work closely with experts who do, so they may be able to recommend a clinical expert for you.

Available Topics
What is a "topic"?

"Topic" is our short-hand word for the specific biomedical subject for which you are seeking an expert. One person, for example, may choose asthma as a topic. Another person might choose aspirin as a topic.

How many topics does ExpertMapper know about?

ExpertMapper can find experts in more than 47,000 subject areas. These are the subjects recognized in the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) list from the National Library of Medicine.

My problem is not listed as an available ExpertMapper topic. Why?

The most probable reason is a mismatch between the word(s) you are using to describe your problem and the words that ExpertMapper uses to describe the problem. ExpertMapper tends to use the words that physicians use. Here are some suggestions:

Can I get a custom topic added to ExpertMapper's database?

No, but we may add this in the future if there is sufficient interest.

About ExpertMapper
Who is ExpertMapper?

See the Contact Us page.

How long has the service been running?

The ExpertMapper service was created and tested in 2002, and first launched in 2003. The current version appeared in August 2009.