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This paper reports on five years of experience with computer-assisted instruction (CAI) at Winthrop-University Hospital, a major affiliate of the SUNY at Stony Brook School of Medicine. It compares CAI programs available from Ohio State University and Massachusetts General Hospital (accessed by telephone and modem), and software packages purchased from the Health Sciences Consortium (MED-CAPS) and Scientific American (DISCOTEST). The comparison documents one library's experience of the cost of these programs and the use made of them by medical students, house staff, and attending physicians. It describes the space allocated for necessary equipment, as well as the marketing of CAI. Finally, in view of the decision of the National Board of Medical Examiners to administer the Part III examination on computer (the so-called CBX) starting in 1988, the paper speculates on the future importance of CAI in the community teaching hospital.

To respond to the increasing demand for information from medical educators and clinicians and to persuade administrators to purchase the newly available microcomputer library systems, medical librarians in community teaching hospitals may find it useful to engage in intermediate term (for example, five-year) program planning. To increase the probability that the plan which emerges will be implemented, the planning process should fit the organizational nexus. Planning involves needs assessment, prioritized program elements, a written plan, and facilities planning (if applicable), which lead to program implementation. Components of a model program plan are presented.

A list of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) vendors and programs was compiled as a resource for medical librarians who are building a nonprint collection. It includes only computer-assisted instruction for clinical education in medicine and nursing. The very brief description of each program is followed by price, audience, and hardware requirements.