Obtaining medical information from the Internet

The Internet is rapidly expanding as an environment for electronic communication and resource sharing. The World Wide Web, a relatively new service on the Internet, provides access to a wealth of information resources through a simple point-and-click interface. Available resources of interest to physicians include bibliographical and statistical databases, literature reviews, discussion groups, press releases, newsletters, drug information, self-assessment questionnaires, multimedia textbooks, patient simulations, clinical decision aids, educational software, and much more. Access to the Internet is widely available in universities and medical libraries; physicians working at home can gain access from a personal computer linked by a modem to a telephone line, by subscribing to an Internet service provider.