Medics set up web network

Doctors went on-line yesterday with the launch of their very own Internet site.

The new service - Doctors.net.uk - is the brainchild of doctors in Oxford.

The world-wide 'virtual community' will enable doctors to link up on the Internet and share ideas and discuss new developments.

It is the first time an electronic network has been created specifically for doctors and it aims to boost communications, research and patient care.

Doctors will have access to some of the latest research and will be able to send confidential e-mails to colleagues. Textbooks and databases will also be easily accessible.

The system is being run by practising doctors based at Milton Park, Abingdon.

It already involves close working with various medical databases including the Oxford University Press and Oxford University department of evidence-based healthcare.

Dr Neil Bacon, a trainee kidney specialist based at the Churchill Hospital, Oxford, put his training on hold to set up the service.

He said: "Access to information and the sharing of ideas are vital for doctors - and therefore to patients. We aim to make both as easy as possible.

"Doctors.net.uk won't replace the phone, the conference, or the textbook on the shelf, but it is a powerful addition."

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