July

A few years ago we started the Good Guys section in the BCMJ and wrote a couple of articles about individuals who had made a difference, and we invited you to follow suit. However, the entreaty never tapped much of a wellspring of subject material, and I suspect most of us are a little reluctant to write nice biographical stuff about close friends for fear of sounding sappy.

Guidelines for TB contact investigation are based upon expert opinion and follow the standard concentric circle approach.[1] Extensive amounts of information are collected as a result of these activities. Recent studies have documented limitations in contact investigation including problems with contact identification, screening completion, and therapy initiation.[2] The concerns with standard contact investigation are amplified in certain high-risk groups, such as substance users and the homeless.[3] 

Educators have long made efforts to use technology to enhance the impact of their message and to improve access to their material. With the development of web-based education and broadband Internet access, it is now practical to view full-screen slide presentations accompanied by the presenter’s narrative in audio and sometimes video form.

Rural physicians often express frustration with their professional isolation and lack of collegial support. Their limited access to specialty consultants and their very limited access to continuing professional development (CPD) opportunities are particularly concerning in small communities with very few or no peers in close proximity. Rural physicians who are prepared to leave their communities to participate in CPD can only do so infrequently because their absence impacts negatively on their patients’ access to care.

The use of the Internet as an evidence-based medicine (EBM) tool is very recent. For many years there has been a predictable chain of events in scientific communication. Research is reported in papers presented at scientific meetings and published in conference proceedings and peer-reviewed journals. These publications are then indexed in a bibliographic index such as MEDLINE (Index Medicus online), which in turn leads to the information being discussed in review articles and included in textbooks.