Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 10, 2026
16:17
The ITS2 Database
Published on: March 12, 2012
The commerce of ideas: Internets and Intranets
1Bernard Becker Medical Library, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA. frisse@medicine.wustl.edu
Summary
Academic physicians excel in clinical medicine but lag in information management. The World Wide Web (WWW) and intranets offer transformative potential for academic medicine, yet many centers lack a clear IT vision and action plan.
Area of Science:
- Academic Medicine
- Health Care Information Technology
- Medical Informatics
Background:
- Academic physicians excel in clinical medicine, research, and education, but historically underperform in information management.
- The rise of network-based communications necessitates improved information infrastructure for academic medical centers to maintain a competitive edge.
- Many institutions have adopted health care information technology indiscriminately rather than with focused leadership.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the impact of World Wide Web (WWW) technologies and internal intranets on academic medicine.
- To analyze how increased Internet penetration and intranet use can transform biomedical publishing, education, and hospital libraries.
- To assess the current state of information technology vision and strategic planning within academic medical centers.
Main Methods:
- Speculative essay based on current trends in information technology adoption within academic medicine.
- Analysis of the transformative potential of the Internet and intranets in healthcare information management.
- Review of institutional approaches to information technology vision and implementation.
Main Results:
- The Internet is significantly altering biomedical publishing, education, and library services.
- Intranets are emerging as crucial tools for administrative support and patient-specific information delivery.
- Despite the potential, many academic medical centers lack the strategic vision and will to implement effective information technology plans.
Conclusions:
- Academic medicine faces a critical juncture regarding information management and technology adoption.
- Strategic leadership and a coherent plan are essential for harnessing the full potential of the Internet and intranets.
- Failure to adapt information technology strategies may hinder academic medical centers' future competitiveness and effectiveness.
Related Concept Videos
01:19Facilitated Transport
The chemical and physical properties of plasma membranes cause them to be selectively permeable. Since plasma membranes have both hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions, substances need to be able to transverse both regions. The hydrophobic area of membranes repels substances such as charged ions. Therefore, such substances need special membrane proteins to cross a membrane successfully. In facilitated transport, also known as facilitated diffusion, molecules and ions travel across a membrane via...
02:06Social Exchange Theory
We have discussed why we form relationships, what attracts us to others, and different types of love. But what determines whether we are satisfied with and stay in a relationship? One theory that provides an explanation is social exchange theory. According to social exchange theory, we act as naïve economists in keeping a tally of the ratio of costs and benefits of forming and maintaining a relationship with others (Rusbult & Van Lange, 2003).
03:00Intermolecular vs Intramolecular Forces
Intermolecular forces (IMF) are electrostatic attractions arising from charge-charge interactions between molecules. The strength of the intermolecular force is influenced by the distance of separation between molecules. The forces significantly affect the interactions in solids and liquids, where the molecules are close together. In gases, IMFs become important only under high-pressure conditions (due to the proximity of gas molecules). Intermolecular forces dictate the physical properties of...
01:19Facilitated Transport
The chemical and physical properties of plasma membranes cause them to be selectively permeable. Since plasma membranes have both hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions, substances need to be able to transverse both regions. The hydrophobic area of membranes repels substances such as charged ions. Therefore, such substances need special membrane proteins to cross a membrane successfully. In facilitated transport, also known as facilitated diffusion, molecules and ions travel across a membrane via...
01:19The Role of Ion Channels in Neuronal Computation
A postsynaptic neuron usually receives numerous impulses from several other presynaptic neurons. The axon hillock of the postsynaptic neuron integrates all these signals and determines the likelihood of firing an action potential.
Sometimes a single EPSP is strong enough to induce an action potential in the postsynaptic neuron. However, multiple presynaptic inputs must often create EPSPs around the same time for the postsynaptic neuron to be sufficiently depolarized to fire an action potential.
Sometimes a single EPSP is strong enough to induce an action potential in the postsynaptic neuron. However, multiple presynaptic inputs must often create EPSPs around the same time for the postsynaptic neuron to be sufficiently depolarized to fire an action potential.
01:16Facilitated Diffusion
The plasma membrane, a critical structure in cellular biology, houses an array of transporters, or carrier proteins, interspersed within its lipid bilayer. These proteins play a crucial role in solute transport through facilitated diffusion, a form of passive diffusion that uses transporters to move the molecules across the membrane.
In this process, substrates such as organic compounds and ions interact with a transporter on one side, triggering conformational changes in proteins that enable...
In this process, substrates such as organic compounds and ions interact with a transporter on one side, triggering conformational changes in proteins that enable...