Back to cover page

They say medicine is about people, not computers, but where would medicine be without them? If computers disappeared tomorrow, health care could fall apart (for starters, correspondence would lag behind) and so modern medicine is as much about computers as it is about people. Everything seems to be linked to the internet. Anything, no matter how obscure, has a web page and anyone, in developed countries at least,(1) can have an email address. The internet is made up of electronic mail (email) and the world wide web. But how does the internet help the medical profession? One way is in the publication of research. Putting things on the web means that information can be sent around the world in seconds. Readers just have to find the appropriate web page and print what they want. Although the internet is relatively new, it doesn't mean an end to traditional information resources. Medline, the medical research database, is available on the web, but it can be combined with new resources like online videos or interactive web pages.(2)

Technology makes us lazy. With a good search engine(3) a tool to find information, and a printer you could do all your research without leaving your desk. No wandering through libraries or waiting for the photocopier. Email also makes communication easier, either nationally or internationally. This makes it easier for students to arrange electives or stay in touch with friends. For doctors medical issues can be discussed with experts all over the world.

So how do you get started on the internet? Look at this month's Net.Philes (p323). It looks like an endless maze of web addresses, but there is a lot of information there too. Mark Pallen, author of Net.Philes, also gives information in the student BMJ to help you get going.(45) If, however, you really want to understand the internet, look at one of the many books for beginners.

There are only two books worth getting: The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Internet (ISBN 0789 710 730, price £23.49) and Internet for Dummies (ISBN 0764501062, price £19.99) are both overly friendly but cover everything you need to know. Idiots are treated to a free CD that contains three books and two internet explorers. I wasn't impressed: I didn't need the Interact explorers because like most of you, I have free access to the internet at university; the electronic version of the book was outdated and it was the first issue rather than the third. Dummies get a better deal by being invited to dial up the book's web page to get more up to date information. This helps you get accustomed to the internet and was enough to win my vote.

The Internet and World Wide Web (ISBN 1856 282 160, price £5.00) is a good book, especially for the price, but assumes you'll read the book in sequence. It's more likely that you will jump from chapter to chapter and so the authors often left me cross wired and confused. Netdoctor (ISBN 0679 771 735, price $22 (£35.20)) is aimed at patients. Interesting it was, relevant to medical students it was not. The Student's Guide to the Internet (ISBN 1856 042 073, price £6.99) is what the title suggests. It is aimed at teaching students how to use the internet for course work and nothing else. If this is what you want from a book, then fair enough, but it seems a shame to approach something as diverse as the internet with such a blinkered view. The Internet Complete Reference (ISBN 0078 821 38, price £23.99) is the book for the serious internet connoisseur. If you want to know it all, this is the book for you. If you want the basics, stay away, the volume of information could seriously dent your enthusiasm.

The last two books are specifically for the medical profession and were reviewed in the BMJ .(6) If your interest is solely based in medicine then Medical Information on the Internet (ISBN 0443 056 994, price £16.95) is the book of choice. A friendly writing style and useful pictures, combined with a web site of up to date information, and a CD thrown in for good measure make this a hard act to follow. If anything was to follow, it was more likely to be a flying pig than Medicine and the Internet (ISBN 0192 627 058, price £16.95). This book seems to be written by an old boy, technophobe of a consultant with little enthusiasm for the internet. Don't bother.

I don't spend hours navigating the net or emailing people. I use the internet only when I need to and am aware that there is much more I could do with it. In researching this article I looked at Wired , one of the internet magazines available in Britain. I found terms like technolust, data-layering, digital TV, and morphing, bewildering. But I do not need to know what they are yet. As there's so much information out there, I think it is better to adopt an "ignorance is bliss" attitude until you feel more confident.

But don't avoid getting internet literate. Ignore it now and you may find that the internet is to you, what the video recorder is to our parents.

References
1 Smith R. Distance is dead: the world will change. BMJ 1996;313:1572

2 The Interactive Patient: http://medicus.marshall.edu/
medicus.htm

3 Pallen M. Getting started on the Internet. student BMJ 1997;5:16-18.

4 www.hotbot.com

5 Pallen M. The World Wide Web. student BMJ 1997;5:60-62.

6 Pallen M. Medical information on the Internet. BMJ 1996;313:1411