Internet Transforms Medical Practices

The Internet -- specifically Google and blogs -- is changing doctors' practices.



Medpundit, a practicing physician, describes in an article over at Blogcritics.org how she and other physicians increasingly use the Internet. Among the uses:

Finding information to assist in making medical diagnoses of rare conditions.

Determining the appropriate tests to order.

Illustrating and explaining medical points to patients.

Looking up correct diagnosis codes for insurance billing.

Staying current on the latest breakthroughs in medicine.

The Internet is making hardcopy medical textbooks obsolete. As she points out, timeliness is critical when dealing with the latest medical discoveries and treatment breakthroughs. The Internet beats out print books hands down:

"In today's internet world there's a forum that is equally adept at handling new medical information, dissecting it, and presenting it in a timely fashion. Perhaps you've heard of it. It's called the blog."

In addition to the Medpundit weblog and various mainstream medical websites such as familydoctor.org and WebMD.com, there is also a directory of medical weblogs. Along with Google, all are helping transform the practice of medicine. Now, even a solo practitioner doctor in a small town has up-to-the-minute access to a wide body of the latest medical knowledge, provided he or she has an Internet connection.