Instructional intranets in graduate medical education

Changes in medicine, medical education, and technology have influenced graduate medical education (GME) and have altered many traditional concepts of resident training. Three issues in particular have led to changes. The first is the shortage of time that academic and community physicians have to devote to medical teaching because of the demands to bring in revenue through clinical practice. The second is the limited exposure that residents have to various medical conditions due to a shift in training venues from hospitals to ambulatory care settings. Last is residents' lack of training in using information technologies. The resultant deficits the exist in GME make it more difficult for residents to practice medicine in the most efficient manner. Hence, there is a need for health care professionals' education to address the coming demands of the 21st century. Instructional computer technology can be useful in bridging this gap. Intranets, internal organizational networks, are private versions of the World Wide Web that are often available only to members of a particular organization. This paper reviews changes in medicine and medical education, describes how instructional intranets can be incorporated into GME, and discusses the impact intranet and Internet technologies can have on GME.