Information on the internet: evaluation of a professional development course for primary care physicians

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN IN THIS AREA • Primary care clinicians generate multiple new information needs during their working day. • The internet can potentially solve many of these needs but this potential is not widely exploited at present. WHAT THIS WORK ADDS • A course on the medical information available on the internet can encourage clinicians to use the internet and help change the manner in which they update themselves. • Improving accessibility to e-library resources should enable clinicians to make better use of the sources of medical information on the internet. SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH • Further research Into the use clinicians make of the internet would be helpful. In particular, identifying aids and barriers to increased use would help with training and providing resources for them.