[Development of an Internet search strategy to identify new medical technologies in prostate cancer]

Technological change is rapid in medicine. The Internet is becoming more and more important as a source of keeping abreast of technological change, but tools to aid clinicians in finding relevant information on the Internet are lacking. The objective of this project was to develop an Internet search strategy to identify new technologies for the treatment of localised prostate cancer.

Web sites were found by means of a literature search and by searching specific Internet sources. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were developed based on literature and applied to a variety of potentially relevant sites. An initial strategy was developed, technologies identified, and the novelty and relevance were assessed by urologists in the team. This information was used to adjust the strategy. 6 general urologists assessed the efficiency of the strategy. Their input was used to define a final listing of sites.

The strategy consists of 10 sites which should be visited in the following order: YahooHealth, DoctorsGuide, The National Electronic Library for Medicines, CancerPage, Medscape, MedlinePlus, HealthAndAge, CancerConsultants, EurekAlert, Oncolink. Links to the exact sites are provided at www.ugeskriftet.dk.

This study resulted in an Internet search strategy to identify new medical technologies for a well-defined indication. The methods used may be useful in order to develop similar strategies in other clinical areas in urology or other specialties.