INTERNET RESOURCES FOR THE CLINICAL LABORATORY

The rapid growth of the Internet in the last three years has made an i ncreasing body of information widely available to connected computer u sers. This information includes an accumulation of data directly relat ed to the clinical laboratory. While the introduction of the World Wid e Web has certainly stimulated this rapid growth, there are other inte rnet resources which are of equal importance to anyone active in the c linical laboratory field. The ability to access and disseminate inform ation quickly by anyone connected to the internet is impacting the way clinical laboratories function. New technologies and new problems (an d sometimes solutions) are discussed almost as they happen. To take ad vantage of these assets, it is necessary to know what is available and to become familiar with the tools that are required to access Interne t resources. This review looks briefly at resources of particular inte rest to the clinical chemist, We will examine what to expect in these resources and how to access and utilize them.