What could be more important than knowledge for a person in medicine? It has rightly been said that “half of knowledge is knowing where to find knowledge.[1]” Like many young children, I was exposed to the world of knowledge through a series of encyclopedias (Compton's, Americana, Britannica) sold to my family by itinerant salesmen in rural LA (Lower Alabama). I loved them. The Internet changed all that by becoming the world's greatest library. Instant-response search engines do provide a world of information. However, the Internet and the search engines, wondrous though they be, are like the computer itself, big and fast, but dumb beasts of burden, without inate ethics or quality control. In medicine and health, human judgment remains vital. But how about the evolving Wikipedia[2] and the boisterous anarchy of the medical blog game?[3] Do they replace the medical encyclopedia? Eager proponents may cry “yes,” exuding hubris in the process. But I still believe that author identity and both institutional and corporate transparency and accountability have a place, even a premier position, in generating the trust that is so important in medical information used for clinical decision making. That is why I feel honored to be named the new Editor-in-Chief of eMedicine, just acquired by WebMD Health. eMedicine is the “old,” established, online encyclopedia of medicine that has flourished under fine leadership since its founding in 1997.[4] We are excited to place eMedicine alongside Medscape and MedGenMed in WebMD's arsenal of information sources for physicians and other healthcare professionals. Be assured that we will continue to innovate to make our most reliable, useful, and easily accessible information sources even better, while continuing to merit the trust of you, our readers.
That's my opinion. I'm Dr. George Lundberg, Editor-in-Chief of MedGenMed, Medscape Core, and eMedicine.
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References
- 1. Anonymous inscription on outside wall of Dodd Hall at Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida.
- 2.Frishauf P. Are traditional peer-reviewed medical articles obsolete? A pitch for the Wikipedia concept. MedGenMed. 2006;8:5. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 3.Lundberg GD. Is there a place for medical blogs in a medical media company? MedGenMed. 2005;7:5. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 4.eMedicine.com, Inc. Available at: www.emedicine.com Accessed January 26, 2006.