ReproMED on the Internet today and tomorrow

ReproMED comprises a range of projects applying and researching the role of information technology to support clinical care, education and research in reproductive medicine. This article traces the development of ReproMED on the Internet and concludes by speculating on the future. The project started with a critical evaluation of the infertility information needs of general practitioners and the role of hypertext in meeting those needs, leading to the production of a ReproMED CD-Rom. However, as the project was under development in 1995, Microsoft launched its first web browser amid major expansions of the Internet, thus the project switched to a series of websites and played host to national bodies including the British Fertility Society and the British Andrology Society. After a critical evaluation of the role of the Internet in supporting postgraduate medical education in the southwest region, reproductive medicine training over the Internet was piloted. This pilot was followed by a series of similar training programmes for junior doctors, specialists and general practitioners, leading to the establishment of a formal MSc delivered principally over the Internet. In addition to professional education and research, the ReproMED websites provide patients with extensive interactive information. The future holds many exciting possibilities with rapid technological developments and ever-increasing information needs.