A CD-ROM drive works much like an audio CD player. A small drawer or holder contains the disk. CD-ROM drives are rated according to how fast they can read information. For all but the most demanding applications, a 2x drive is adequate. Some newer CD-ROM drives have recently been released that can hold several disks at one time.
Users can switch between disks to access greater amounts of information quickly.
Many common medical reference texts have been put on CD-ROM disks, and the list is growing. So is the Physicians' Desk Reference and the popular spiral-bound Little, Brown series that includes the Manual of Medical Therapeutics. CD-ROM texts are complete editions of the originals, including all text, tables, and figures, and they are often available at or below the cost of the original publication. Some also include access to additional reference or drug databases. Among others, The New England Journal of Medicine and American Family Physician annually release a CD-ROM disk that includes all the articles for the year.