Why Provide Advanced Medical Information Online?

Print publication in traditional peer-reviewed scientific books and journals is still viewed by academics as the established standard for presenting new thoughts and advances to a profession. However, with the advent of free and instant access offered by the Internet, commercial medical publications with high costs and tiny closed readerships have become relatively inefficient if not undemocratic means of sharing knowledge with the lay public in search of newer ideas.

Printed articles are, by necessity, restricted in length. Photos may be sparse or appear mainly in black-and-white. Typical delays between submission of an article and actual publication average 6-12 months. Once an article has been published, its content cannot be corrected. Once a few months have passed, the article becomes relegated to a crowded bookshelf where it may be hard to locate.

Nevertheless, medical journal subscriptions are expensive, commonly in the $400-700 range. Even a one-time online download (if available) of a single short article containing few or no photos may cost $40-60. Medical textbooks updated once every decade may cost well over $200. Such is the nature of commercial publishing.

Of course, online publication does not require review by professional editors or other physicians. But even then, no doctors ever agree on everything, and new or advanced ideas are often seen as controversial. It is thus imperative that a reader always review and compare different opinions from a number of reputable sources, whether found online or on paper.

Maintaining a website offering in-depth but comprehensible articles, surgical photo series, before-and-after patient galleries, and detailed video discussions is demanding of both time and thought. However, in an age when technology offers the public a valid new way to gather general information, the benefits of free, timely, and easy access to advanced medical ideas seem to outweigh the burdens of century-old alternatives.

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