New Web Site Offers Latest Contraceptive Information

There is a pressing need in this country for a reliable, readily accessible and comprehensive source of medical information on contraception, said Dr. Alfred Poindexter, Baylor College of Medicine professor of obstetrics & gynecology.

Under Dr. Poindexter's guidance, Baylor is addressing that need through Contraception Online, a new Web-based educational resource to help physicians stay up to date in the field of contraception.

"We hope to make a positive impact on the health and well-being of the nation's families by providing an educational resource for health professionals and their patients," Dr. Poindexter said.

As the site's medical director, Dr. Poindexter is working with an advisory panel of national experts to oversee the development of site content, which will be based on the latest advances and cutting-edge research.

Newly launched, Contraception Online will offer physicians and other health care professionals an array of ongoing professional education tools. High-quality slides on contraception research and clinical management issues, accompanied by corresponding talking points and references, can be downloaded into PowerPoint presentations for self-study or teaching purposes. Clinicians will have access to lectures and symposia on contraception advances delivered by leading experts at recent national meetings. Contraception Online will also contain summaries of new research advances and key topics in contraception literature.

"Clinicians don't often have the time and resources to develop sophisticated material for presentations or to sift through the latest research articles and extract findings most relevant to them. They also don't often have ready access to proceedings at national conferences and continuing medical education courses," Dr. Poindexter said. "Contraception Online will provide them with this information in a convenient, easily accessible format."

In coming months, Contraception Online will also incorporate educational resources that clinicians can use for patient education.

Supported by an unrestricted educational grant from Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories, the site is being developed and hosted by Baylor's Center for Collaborative and Interactive Technologies, which uses advanced information technologies and distance-learning tools to develop resources for continuing medical education and patient and consumer education.

"The Internet has not been tapped to the fullest as a health education resource," said Dr. Michael Fordis, Center for Collaborative and Interactive Technologies director. "Education is an integral part of the patient-physician relationship, and we hope Contraception Online will be the prototype for reliable online education for both parties."

(Reprinted with permission from Baylor College of Medicine)

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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