Wood E H
Norris Medical Library, University of Southern California, Los Angeles 90033.
J Am Med Inform Assoc. 1994 Sep-Oct;1(5):372-80. doi: 10.1136/jamia.1994.95153425.
The bibliographic database MEDLINE, produced by the National Library of Medicine (NLM), is a computerized index to the world's biomedical literature. The database can be searched back to 1966 and contains 6.8 million records. The various means of access are divided, for the purposes of this article, into three categories: logging onto a remote host computer by telephone and modem or by the Internet; subscribing to part or all of the database on compact disc (CD-ROM); and leasing the data on a transport medium such as magnetic tape or CDs for loading on a local host computer. Decisions about which method is preferable in a given situation depend on cost, availability of hardware and software, local expertise, and the size of the intended user population. Trends include increased access to the Internet by health professionals, increased network speed, links from MEDLINE records to full-text databases or online journals, and integration of MEDLINE into wider health information systems.
由美国国立医学图书馆（NLM）制作的书目数据库MEDLINE，是世界生物医学文献的计算机化索引。该数据库可回溯到1966年，包含680万条记录。为便于本文讨论，各种访问方式分为三类：通过电话和调制解调器或互联网登录远程主机计算机；订阅部分或全部数据库的光盘（CD-ROM）版本；以及租赁诸如磁带或光盘等传输介质上的数据以便加载到本地主机计算机上。在特定情况下选择哪种方法更好，取决于成本、硬件和软件的可用性、当地专业知识以及预期用户群体的规模。发展趋势包括卫生专业人员对互联网的访问增加、网络速度提高、从MEDLINE记录到全文数据库或在线期刊的链接，以及MEDLINE融入更广泛的健康信息系统。
