What's New On CPMCnet

For the first time, CPMCnet has created access to an online feature that is specifically designed to bring patients to the site. The "Columbia University Complete Home Medical Guide" is now on the World Wide Web in an easy-to-use format. "It's the first attempt we've made to bring a patient- focused resource to the site," says Gary Sebel, webmaster and editor-in-chief of CPMCnet.

Previously, the "Home Medical Guide" was available online for the CPMC audience, but after receiving permission from the publisher, Mr. Sebel and his group worked to format the publication for the community outside of CPMC. People outside of CPMC often have located online information about research and services at Columbia, but much of that information was designed for the CPMC community. "We believe it has the potential of generating a million additional users to the site," says Mr. Sebel. Currently, CPMCnet receives approximately 1.8 million hits per month. "We think it will help generate at least twice the popularity," he says.

The "Home Medical Guide" is a medical resource edited by faculty of P&S for a lay audience. It covers general health and physiology information as well as guidelines for using today's health care system. The guide is set up into six sections, which are broken down into 34 chapters covering such information as "The Fundamentals of Good Health," "Basics of CPR and Life Support," "Cancer" and "Allergies." Mr. Sebel has designed the online version so that users can jump from chapter to chapter.

Many of CPMCnet's sites generate patient-related traffic. For example, a Web user might search for information on brain tumors and then come to the CPMCnet site of the Brain Tumor Center at the Neurological Institute. With the "Home Medical Guide" now accessible, users can find out general information about brain tumor diagnosis and treatment with links to and from the Brain Tumor Center's home page. The cross-links offer another resource for drawing patients into the medical center and provide a service that answers their questions. "There's nothing as extensive as this on the Web," says Mr. Sebel.

The "Home Medical Guide" can be accessed on the World Wide Web at http://cpmcnet.columbia.edu/texts/guide.