The value of the Internet to anaesthetists.

PURPOSE

To determine which anaesthetists are using the Internet, which resources they find most valuable, and whether the Internet provides useful information which changes the way in which they practice anaesthesia.

METHOD

The survey was posted on the World Wide Web and publicised by e-mail messages to the major anaesthesia discussion lists on the Internet.

RESULTS

Two hundred and five valid replies were received from 22 countries. The typical respondent was an American male specialist who worked in a university or teaching hospital in a city with a population of over one million. The most populat World Wide Web site was GASNet, and the Anesthesiology Discussion Group was the most popular discussion list. Eighty-one percent of anaesthetists had changed their practice of anaesthesia based on information obtained via the Internet. Ninety-six percent recommend that other anaesthetists join the Internet.

CONCLUSION

The Internet is a valuable resource for anaesthetists but, at present, it is used mainly by anaesthetists in universities and other major centres, especially in North America.