Netlines

A substantial collection of free online medical textbooks is available from the e-library in Scotland (www.elib.scot.nhs.uk/weblibrary.asp?cat=Books). The site consists of one long page, but for ease of navigation there is a quick jump tool in the form of a drop down box. The first few sections are mainly devoted to library catalogues, with the links to the books taking up the rest of the page. There are enough subject areas here, from AIDS and HIV to ophthalmology, to interest a wide selection of surfers.

The Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center has produced the Heart Center Encyclopedia, an elegant and user friendly site aimed at patients and their parents (www.cincinnatichildrens.org/health/heart-encyclopedia/default.htm). It is full of easily accessible information about paediatric cardiac diseases. There is a printer friendly option and pages can also be emailed to friends. Health professionals not familiar with paediatric cardiac issues may also find this a treasure trove of information. This is an excellent model for other organisations wanting to produce patient-oriented sites that will also interest health professionals.

Work is under way in the United Kingdom to extend prescribing responsibilities to nurses and pharmacists, in partnership with doctors (so called supplementary prescribing). The Department of Health has produced a site that defines this initiative, explains the background to it, and provides a list of contacts (www.doh.gov.uk/supplementaryprescribing/index.htm). The site also contains other features such as a what's new section and the ubiquitous but welcome frequently asked questions.

From Canada comes a neatly laid out information portal about the West Nile virus (www.traqprogram.ca/wnv-contingencies.asp). Although much of the information here is Canada oriented, there are general and international sections that give it more global appeal. This is an up to date and lively site.

The internet is an ideal medium on which to publish a collection of clinical guidelines. The website of the Medical Journal of Australia has created a links page of such guidelines on subjects from aboriginal health to rheumatology (www.mja.com.au/public/guides/guides.html). The page is clearly set out, with the title of each guideline forming the hypertext link to the full guideline. The newest guideline is listed first in each category. This archive can make a useful reference source