Canadian Medical Association Journal 1996; 154: 295
Immediate and convenient access to databases, be they on the Internet or on CD-ROM, is one of the greatest advantages of the computer age. My CD-ROM versions of Scientific American Medicine and Microsoft Bookshelf now accompany me daily to work and home, are almost weightless and are infinitely easier to use than their print counterparts. MD-Select, the CD-ROM version of the Canadian Medical Directory, allows me to search for doctors' names in ways that were impossible with the print version -- by city, specialty, graduation year, even telephone number -- and is much easier than the print version on these presbyopic eyes!
But CD-ROM will, I believe, ultimately become obsolete as more and more databases become available on the Internet. There, publishers and authors can revise the information whenever necessary, without the hassle and cost of producing new editions. Most important, those wanting information immediately will no longer be daunted by the difficulty and tedium of finding it.
One of the main databases within CMA Online is CPG Infobase, the collection of full-text clinical practice guidelines published in CMAJ over the last few years. During 1996 we will be adding, as available, guidelines published by others in Canada. Of course, we are constantly considering other possibilities for databases within CMA Online. Proposals anyone?