The medical school web site: Medical education's newest tool

There are few technological advancements that have had as much impact on th e dissemination of information as the Internet, and especially the worldwid e web. It is not :surprising then that this tool is also changing the way m edicine is studied, taught and practiced today. This impressive infrastruct ure enables us to teach and study medicine in an entirely different way. Th e web provides medical students and physicians with access to continuing me dical education, patient education services, telemedicine, and unparalleled communication between colleagues via email. The medical school web site ma y be used as a dynamic newspaper or bulletin board to disseminate informati on internally among the faculty as well as to the outside world. It can als o be the vehicle for virtual learning modules that enhance the medical scho ol core curriculum by including lectures, exercises, tests, etc. In additio n, the web allows the student access to medical literature, medical softwar e applications and medical resource depots. To date no work has been publis hed on the medical school web site, its construction process, and its advan tages, drawbacks and future. The purpose of this article is to examine the evolution of the web as a tool for medical schools, medical students and as sociated physicians. We discuss the building of a web site for a medical fa culty, and look to the future.