STDs, HIV and hepatitis C on the world wide web

As medical computer software packages improve and hardware gets faster and more streamlined, increasing numbers of GPs are using computers in their practices. This, coupled with the vast range of medical conditions a GP encounters and the huge breadth of information that patients expect their doctor to possess, makes the internet an ideal resource for both GPs and self-directed patient education.

The internet is full of health sites available to everyone. These sites are not governed by any medical body, many are not peer reviewed, and they are not policed. Consequently, for those with little or no medical background the information found may be misleading, sensationalist and, in some cases, incorrect.