| Abstract | BACKGROUND: Medical information is increasingly available on computer
networks. OBJECTIVES: To familiarize the pediatrician with some of the terms
associated with these on-line resources, and to describe what is available via
the Internet and dial-up computer bulletin boards. DATA SOURCES: Information
for this article was taken from publicly available on-line services and
Internet servers. DATA EXTRACTION: Only resources relevant to pediatric
practice were included. DATA SYNTHESIS: Medical information on the Internet is
in a state of evolution. Useful resources for pediatricians are sparse but
expanding rapidly. CONCLUSIONS: Pediatricians may use on-line computer networks
to communicate. Familiarity with computer networks will become more important
to pediatricians as electronic medical records, on-line medical literature, and
telemedicine (the practice of medicine over long distances) become more common.
Medical libraries and commercial on-line services are good places to begin to
investigate the availability of medical information over computer networks. |