Surgery and the information age

Surgeons' basic competency relies upon their ability to combine their existing knowledge and practical skills in the care of their patients, and also upon keeping up to date and encompassing change. We now live in a society which has become accustomed to receive a constant flow of up-to-date information about the world around it. With recent developments, including the Internet, the World Wide Web, and advances in personal computer systems, the pace of change of information technology (IT) has been increasing. These changes have had a significant impact upon surgery, and it is now becoming necessary to be able to make use of these new resources to function effectively in modern practice. This article will outline some of the more important topics relating to IT in surgical practice as an introduction to a series on this subject which will be appearing in forthcoming issues of the Journal.