Educational resources for emergency and primary care physicians

Overview

The Emergency Medicine Bulletin Board System (EMBBS) was created in 1994 with the aim of encouraging communication among emergency and primary care physicians. It is a gateway to numerous clinical, academic and social resources, chosen and evaluated by the webmasters (two US emergency medicine physicians). The site is affiliated with MDchoice, a major portal for medicine and health resources on the internet.

Overview

The site has a very basic structure, with a list of features on the homepage each linking to specific pages in external sites. The EMBBS site itself has little original content, apart from information about the site and how to submit images or articles. The resources that can be accessed from the site are diverse, and include image libraries (radiographs, CT scans, photographs), job listings, patient care simulators, clinical reviews, EKGs, interesting cases and relevant guidelines. Most external resources are hosted by MDchoice, although some sections link to academic journals, other medical institutions or online job databases. There is also a 'residency corner' which is a forum for emergency medicine physicians to discuss and share information on a variety of topics.

Evaluation

Although the concept behind EMBBS - to enhance communication between physicians - is admirable, in practice the site is little more than a selection of links to a freely-accessible medical information website (MDchoice). Few of the interactive features, such as the residents corner, are being used regularly and many links are now out-of-date. However, for those who don't wish to search general medical sites themselves, this site provides quick access to specific, relevant sections of other sites, hand-picked by fellow emergency medicine physicians.

Evaluation

Pages on the site are not individually named, so bookmarks will always take you to the homepage. The EMBBS site was last updated in 1995 but the external sites it links to are generally well maintained and updated continually.