QLD: Computer help for rural doctors

AAP General News (Australia)
04-01-2001
QLD: Computer help for rural doctors

BRISBANE, April 1 AAP - Queensland rural doctors facing tricky diagnoses can now call
on their computers for help.

Health Minister Wendy Edmond said doctors in remote areas facing patients with snake
bite or unusual illnesses would have vital information at their fingertips through Clinicians
Knowledge Network.

The service would operate through 140 public hospitals and 17,000 personal computers
connected to the Queensland Health online network.

"Queensland Health will be providing a wide range of medical and health information
24 hours a day," Ms Edmond said.

This was an important step in overcoming problems imposed by distance and isolation
through practical application of information technology, she said.

Doctors facing a condition they had not previously encountered would have the latest
information available to help them form their diagnostic and treatment strategy.

Information included direct links to the full texts of the British Medical Journal
and the Journal of the American Medical Association as well as pharmacy and poisons information.

Information for psychiatrists and nursing staff would also be available, she said.

AAP geb/cdh

KEYWORD: CLINICIANS

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