The medical school Web site: medical education's newest tool

There are few technological advancements that have had as much impact on the dissemination of information as the Internet, and especially the worldwide web. It is not surprising then that this tool is also changing the way medicine is studied, taught and practiced today. This impressive infrastructure enables us to teach and study medicine in an entirely different way. The web provides medical students and physicians with access to continuing medical education, patient education services, telemedicine, and unparalleled communication between colleagues via email. The medical school web site may be used as a dynamic newspaper or bulletin board to disseminate information internally among the faculty as well as to the outside world. It can also be the vehicle for virtual learning modules that enhance the medical school core curriculum by including lectures, exercises, tests, etc. In addition, the web allows the student access to medical literature, medical software applications and medical resource depots. To date no work has been published on the medical school web site, its construction process, and its advantages, drawbacks and future. The purpose of this article is to examine the evolution of the web as a tool for medical schools, medical students and associated physicians. We discuss the building of a web site for a medical faculty, and look to the future.