[Podcasts, wikis and blogs: the web 2.0 tools for medical and health education]

In the recent years, we have witnessed a new revolution in the field of communication through Internet. Web 2.0, whose contents are provided by the collaboration, discussion, and sharing between more users, is replacing the traditional web (the web 1.0). The use of podcasts, wikis, and blogs is rapidly increasing, and today they are proposed as educational tools for health professionals, physicians, and medical students. Medical podcasts have been developed by online medical journals (such as the New England Journal of Medicine, the Lancet, the British Medical Journal, and the JAMA), and by medical societies, medical schools and health institutions to communicate to and educate the physicians, the students, the patients, and the health consumers. Following the example of Wikipedia, medical wikis and blogs are being developed to support the medical education, the collaboration among researchers, and the clinical practice. However, these tools present some limitations related to their openness and ease of use which virtually allows anybody to alter and edit existing contents or to create new ones. This could make the contents unreliable and inaccurate, and could introduce risks for a correct medical education and for the health of those patients deciding to follow the medical advice included. Studies are needed to evaluate limits, benefits, and efficacy of these tools when used in the contexts of medical education and clinical practice. Other studies are needed to evaluate the reliability and the accuracy of the medical contents posted online through the web 2.0 services.