The Internet's impact on the practice of psychiatry

Objective: In the past decade, the Internet has rapidly evolved into a mainstream communication and information resource. During this period, health care resources and databases have been developed. This paper reviews the literature on e-mail communication and on-line health care information resources to determine the impact on psychiatry. Method: The Medline electronic database and the search engines Altavista and Google were used to review the literature discussing on-line guidelines, clinical trials, and continuing medical education (CME) resources, as well as the literature on Internet usage, e-journals, and e-mail communication. Conclusions: The Internet has accelerated psychiatrists' access to new research findings and other information pertinent to clinical practice. It has eliminated distance barriers and offered psychiatrists and the general public equal access to scientific articles, clinical trials, and guidelines. The literature shows that the general public is using the Internet to obtain information and, to a lesser extent, to communicate with health care professionals. In terms of health outcomes, the effectiveness of patient on-line access to information is still uncertain, and further research is necessary. Although physicians have embraced on-line journals, further work is required before they embrace on-line CME. The Internet has developed to a point where it is important for psychiatrists to understand the issues and pitfalls in its use, to be able to access the resources available, and to be in a position to mentor patients who want to research their condition further.