FROM THE EDITORS

Abstract

Consumer empowerment through authoritative health information is a positive force in today's health care environment. As the nation's lead agency for protecting the health and safety of people, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has as part of its mission the responsibility of providing credible information to enhance health decisions. CDC health communications are provided through many venues, and particularly its Web site. This article identifies CDC consumer health sites, giving particular attention to two new initiatives, the CDC Kids Page and CDC en Espãol, which have been developed for specialized consumer health audiences.     

The Blackboard or Virtual Reality

Abstract

Instructional technology used effectively can enhance significantly what we do in the classroom. Used thoughtlessly, it can confuse and annoy the student. This article presents a series of specific examples and caveats while exploring the creation and use of electronic resources in a variety of classes. The electronic resources covered in this article include Web pages, virtual reality (specifically, a MOO), and interactive exercises. While examples are drawn primarily from the author's experience teaching Classics, the lessons learned apply to all fields. The article concludes with a case study of how to develop materials for a class on the story of Baucis and Philemon from Ovid's Metamorphoses.     

Internet Information on Heart Disease in Men

Summary

Finding information on heart disease in men might seem as easy as logging on to a favorite search engine, finding the right category, and perusing the available links. However, in trying several prominent search engines, this turned out not to be the case. One important reason for the lack of information is that heart disease has declined 60% since 1950. Nevertheless, heart disease is still the leading killer among men. An advanced search on a search engine (heart disease as a phrase and man or men) still yields an unwieldy number of pages, about 90,000. In an effort to bridge this gap, the author examines a number of governmental, organizational, and consumer Web sites containing high-quality information on heart disease.     

基于Web服务的药学信息服务系统设计

分析药学信息服务现状,设计基于SOA架构和Web服务技术的新型药学信息服务系统,介绍系统架构与功能环境,指出其功能相比传统药学信息系统更具优势,可提供药品检索、药学文献检索、药品专利检索、药品预警、药品曝光等服务.     

The use of multi-national web surveys for comparative analysis: Lessons from the European Web Survey on Drugs

BackgroundMost comparative drug policy analyses utilise measures of drug use, often from general population surveys (GPS). However, the limitations of GPS are well-recognised, including the small numbers of people who use illicit drugs sampled. Web surveys offer a potential solution to such issues. Therefore EMCDDA conducted a study to assess the potential for using such surveys to supplement information obtained from GPS.MethodsThe European Web Survey on Drugs (EWSD) asked about use of cannabis, amphetamines, cocaine and MDMA in 14 countries from 2016 to 2018. Each participant country translated the questionnaire as necessary and devised its own sampling strategy. Individuals aged 18+, resident in the participant country, who had used one or more of the drugs covered by the survey in the past 12 months were included in the analysis. Participation was anonymous and voluntary.ResultsMore than 40,000 people completed the survey, with recruitment mostly through social media. Larger samples of users of all drug types than found in GPS were generally obtained. However, the respondent profiles differed markedly between countries, e.g. the proportion aged 18–24 ranged from 30% to 80%. The results relating to use showed both inter-country similarities and differences, e.g. mean daily amounts of cocaine used varied between countries but increases in amounts used with increased frequency of use were similar. Price data showed good external validity.ConclusionWeb surveys offer the possibility of collecting information from large numbers people who use illicit drugs quickly and cheaply and can fill important gaps in our knowledge of patterns of use, particularly by recreational users. However, they also have limitations. Standardising questionnaires and approaches to data cleaning and analysis facilitates comparisons between countries but obtaining comparable samples may be challenging. Multinational surveys need to balance standardisation of methods with responsiveness to differing country contexts; our collaborative model does this.