Internet for Health Professionals

Introduction

Why connect
to the Internet?

What is on the
Internet?

Evaluating Web Resources

Finding what
you want

Encyclopedic Sites

Pathfinder Sites

Search
engines

Subject
Catalogues

Evaluated
Subject
Catalogues

Interactive
Learning

Electronic Discussion Lists

Discussion lists also known as mailing lists, are subject specific discussion groups that are participated in and distributed by e-mail. Once you have joined a list, every message that is subsequently posted to that list is copied to your electronic mailbox.

Finding Lists Pertinent to Your Interests

A place to start would be one of the indexing resources such as Medical Matrix or HealthWeb, or search a listserver database at:

Health on the Net
http://www.hon.ch/Patients/listserv.html

Liszt Mailing List Directory
http://www.liszt.com/

Publicly Accessible Mailing Lists
http://www.neosoft.com/internet/paml

Reference.Com
http://www.reference.com/

Tilenet
http://www.tile.net

Note that the above site must be searched by specific subject such as 'stroke' or 'neurosurgery' rather than by broad subject term like 'medicine'.

 

Usenet News: Newsgroups

Newsgroups are another way in which the Internet facilitates group communication. Arranged on a subject-specific basis, newsgroups enable groups of like-minded people to ask questions, raise concerns and discuss topics of mutual interest.

Newsgroups differ from discussions lists in the following ways:

• postings to a newsgroup are held on a newsgroup server rather than copied to your personal e-mail box;
• you do not formally subscribe to a newsgroup.