The Internet - Patients are already seeking advice, consultation, and referral over the Internet. Hospitals and clinics are busy hanging out their shingles on the information superhighway. Doctors are communicating with their patients and colleagues through electronic mail . The free Physicians Online service, endorsed by the FAFP, is an important step in this direction. In addition to Medline and other databases, Physicians Online now offers an email gateway to the Internet.
Internet mail is used by millions of people in over a hundred countries.
It has become the preferred communications channel for large communities and organizations. Every member of the Florida Academy should become familier with this important technology. Email is only half the equation however, the World Wide Web is the other. The Web is essentially a huge network of interconnected computers that currently holds over 12 million individual documents. There is a staggering amount of health related information available including journals, textbooks, CME, and patient education.