Letters

One of the features of present NHS activity is the revision of thought and practice initiated by the introduction of clinical governance.

In support of this, trusts are discussing how to make better use of knowledge and evidence both for their professional staff and their patients.

There is support for the idea of using the Internet to open up access to information, and as an American clinician on an exchange programme at Wolverhampton University I have listened with interest as my colleagues in the UK suggest making such access freely available via ward and other clinical areas.

The Internet has created new challenges in healthcare: we are now often presented with patients who have read of a new study or cure for various ailments. Others present with a diagnosis in mind having searched the Internet with their perceived symptoms as criteria.

There is a commonly used phrase current in both our countries: 'A little information is dangerous'. This is particularly true in these cases. What is even worse is when that meagre information is not of good quality.

How do you identify the best sources of information?

I recommend directing staff and patients to reliable sites and providing them with some examples.

Among the sites I know to be wellscreened and benefiting from good quality control are:

www.who.org for the World Health Organisation and www.cdc.gov for the Centre for Disease Control.

Patients are frequently provided with leaflets on their specific problem that explain these problems simply and clearly.

I would recommend that a list or database of dependable websites be included in such leaflets and be made available at points of access to the Internet on NHS premises.

There is no escaping the changes the Internet is bringing to society. As with all things, adaptation must occur to ensure survival. It is vital that healthcare providers learn how best to use, and cope with, the vast information becoming available on the worldwide web.

C Brad Robertson Penn Hospital Wolverhampton