YOUR PRESCRIPTION FOR MEDICAL NEWS OVERLOAD

By: Charles Bowen Praxis Post Offers Daily Health News Summaries


A lawyer, once bemoaning the lack of interest about the Internet among so many
of his courthouse colleagues, looked enviously at doctors and the Web savvy he
observed among most medical professionals. "The difference is," he told me,
"doctors have a machine-oriented education. Throughout their undergraduate and
medical school years, they work every day with a wide variety of technology. To
them, a personal computer is just one more machine, and nothing to be alarmed
about."

By contrast, he said, lawyers - and those in many other professions and
occupations - "go to 'book schools.' It's no wonder, then," he added, "that
doctors have been so quick to adapt to the World Wide Web."

I don't know how accurate his assessment is, but it is certainly true that
doctors have an enormous presence on the Web, which is great news for medical
reporters and editors. In fact, one of the few problems with using the Net to
help in health coverage is sifting through so much material.

That is why most of us are happy when we learn of a new site that promises to
synthesize and summarize all those developing health issues. Such a site is
Praxis Post, a free, Web-based magazine of medicine and culture. It carries a
daily medical news digest written for primary care practitioners and their
patients, along with features that change weekly. Among the latter are informed
opinion columns drawn from recent medical headlines, debates and profiles, and
coverage of politics, reviews, diaries, literature, poetry, humor and art.

To look in on it, visit the site at http://praxispost.com, which brings you to the
frequently updated introductory page, topped with breaking news and features.
Scroll the page for interested standing features, including:
o News & Alerts, a source of daily news selected for clinical relevance by the
Praxis Press News Bureau. The Alerts section targets recommendations from Praxis
experts and links to original sources.
o This Week, an irreverent but informative look beyond this week's medical
headlines by Dr. Gerald Weissman, director of the Biotechnology Study Center at
New York University School of Medicine, who also is a former columnist for the
Baltimore Sun.
o Friendly Fire, a lively debate between two or more experts on contemporary
medical issues.
o The Spin Doctor, a critique by Praxis Post editor Ivan Oransky of the media's
coverage of medicine.
o The Apprentice, the diary of first-year medical student Adam Gorra.
o The Ethicist, reflections on thorny issues about life, death, and health by
Dr. Faith McLellan, editorial director of publications at Praxis Press Inc.
Trends, in-depth reports on how medicine is changing, from politics to patient
care.
o The Year In, offering state-of-the-specialty updates from the Praxis editorial
board.

You also can search Praxis Post and other online services from Praxis Press Inc.
by clicking the "Search/Tools" button at the top of any Praxis page. A resulting
form invites you to enter a word or phrase, indicate the publication or
publications you wish to search and click the "Go" button. Articles matching
your search query are then listed with hyperlinks.

Other considerations for using Praxis Post and related sites in your editing and
reporting:
o The site also provides Best Health Guide, a consumer medicine reference that
provides answers to common health questions, along with topics such as "Doctor
Visit Checklist" and "Recommended Reading" for assorted subjects.
o The counterpart for doctors is Praxis Press' Best Practice of Medicine
reference, which promises quick look-ups for busy physicians. The information is
layered so the reader can choose the level of detail needed on each condition,
covering specific medical conditions, symptoms, and treatments.
o Watch for the site to develop new services this year. At this writing, a
feature called Praxis Rx is intended to cover drug prescriptions, while
RxQuickAnswer is intended as a search utility in medications.

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Bowen writes columns, articles and books from West Virginia, and is host of the daily Internet News syndicated radio show (http://www.netnewstoday.com).
charlesbowen@compuserve.com


Copyright 2001, Editor & Publisher