Virtual medical expertise a click away
A new online tool for doctors and medics throughout the world has opened, and could be essential in saving lives, especially in unusual cases. The Faculty of 1000 Medicine is published by Medicine Reports Ltd, and it is modelled on the highly successful Faculty of 1000 Biology site, which has secured subscriptions from 80 per cent of the world's leading research institutions. It highlights the most interesting papers in medicine, based on recommendations. The Faculty 1000 Medicine site divides a subject into 18 topic areas, such as oncology or anaesthesiology, then sub-divides it into 200 specific research areas, which are in turn cross-indexed, reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of medicine. Members submit summaries of articles that they find to be particularly relevant or interesting, along with a rating, such as 'exceptional' or 'must read', and recommendations on who would find the article relevant. A 'clinical impact' tag also exists for discoveries which could have an immediate effect on the way doctors work. An advisory board oversees the project, including Steven Hyman from Harvard University in the US, Sir Keith Peters, emeritus regius professor of physics at Cambridge University, UK, and Hans Wigzell, director of the Centre of Medical Information at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. 'It is impossible to read all of the articles that one should, and medicine is becoming more and more interdisciplinary. Timely, concise evaluations from peers that one respects are a lifeline in the sea of literature,' explained Faculty 1000's head of critical care and emergency medicine, Jean-Louis Vincent. Users of the site can customise the settings, allowing e-mail alerts, but perhaps more importantly, the site allows detailed searches, which could prove vital in the diagnosis of unusual or perplexing symptoms - and so save lives.
Countries
Sweden, United Kingdom, United States