NETLINES

• Memory Book (www.memorybook.co.uk) is a patient oriented information booklet designed to help people with memory problems—for example, people with Alzheimer's disease or those who have had a head injury or some trauma to the brain. The book, which has been written by a senior clinical psychologist working with older adults, includes sections on “how to keep the grey matter in working order” and how to make life predictable and memorable. It can be downloaded free of charge and can be used for individual or voluntary group purposes.

• The internet has some nice sites about electrocardiograms (ECGs), and www.madsci.com/manu/indexekg.htm is certainly worth a visit. This page, which is effectively a hypertext index to a large number of ECG topics, functions like a short textbook. The first section in particular, “What is an ECG,” is well worth a visit for those seeking a back to basics approach to ECGs. This site is ideal for new learners or older heads wanting to revise.

• Sometimes it is easy to forget that there is a world of science out there that is vital to the continued progress of medicine. Science Daily (www.sciencedaily.com) may help doctors keep abreast of what is happening. In addition to the latest news on the home page, it is possible to search more than 15 000 stories. New visitors are advised to read the “about this site” section, which explains who is behind Science Daily and how they obtain their material.

• The British Chapter of the International Association for the Study of Pain has produced pain rating scales (www.painsociety.org/pain_scales.html) to assist in the assessment of people who do not have English as their first language. The scales are available to download as PDFs in a wide range of languages, such as Albanian, Mandarin, and Swahili. The page has been designed for primary care and emergency departments, but I suspect that many other specialties will also find these documents useful.

• www.fellows.rcsed.ac.uk/personal/jbarrie/hyperbook/conditions/Default.htm is worth checking out for a good review of some common conditions affecting the foot and ankle. This UK based resource is laid out in a simple index style, with topics ranging from plantar fasciitis to hallux rigidus and sinus tarsi syndrome. Clicking on to the links to the home page and then to the hyperbook will take you to a good section on history and examination in foot and ankle surgery.