Textbooks are becoming obsolete for the practicing physician because they become out dated too quickly. Web-based publication and searching make possible access to practical information at or near the time of an encounter. As Geddes emphasizes, however, the validity of this information depends, not on the computer, but on the availability of dedicated systematic reviewers, such as organized by the Cochrane Collaboration, and the advanced techniques of epidemiology and biostatistics. Again, content matters. It would be foolish to eschew the use of computer based communication in advancing the biopsychosocial aspects of primary care throughout the global village.
Technology is, after all, only a method for achieving a practical purpose.
Making communication easier among scientists, physicians, and patients is of utmost importance in improving global health. Using the medium to entice us to improve global health is likely to prevail unlike any other method in history, but the success of our efforts will ultimately depend on the validity of the messages in that medium. Today's cybercraze is any Web site devoted to health or maladies. The Medium is the Massage . Impact of a preceptor education board and computer network to engage community faculty at Dartmouth Medical School.