A brief introductory guide to chronic pain resources on the Internet

The expanding Internet has become an increasingly valuable tool for world w ide sharing of information. Health care professionals, patients, lay person s, family members and others are afforded instant access to masses of infor mation and almost unlimited resources on virtually any topic, as well as an almost seamless vehicle for communication. This new medium offers tremendo us implications for health care. However, the absence of a single clearingh ouse, a single search procedure or guarantee of accuracy often make informa tion access efforts challenging, confusing and frustrating. The present pap er provides a brief introduction aimed at increasing appreciation of the In ternet and enhancing its utility with regard to chronic pain and its manage ment and offers rudimentary guidelines for efficient accessing of informati on. Finally, it presents the results of a comprehensive search including ne arly 200 useful Internet web links for professionals, patients, family memb ers and other interested persons who assess, treat or cope with chronic pai n. Identified resources include numerous organizations, medical, psychologi cal assessment and practical treatment strategies, assessment and treatment reviews, support groups, list serve groups for patients and professionals, advocacy resources. news and assistive technology resources. Special empha sis is given to useful resources to assist professionals treating persons w ith chronic pain, as well as resources that can assist persons challenged b y chronic pain.