The literature, expert opinion, and reports from grantees and organizations that have submitted letters of intent to the National Library of Medicine's Internet Connection Grant Program indicate that some types of public health practitioners lag behind others in the health care community in accessing the Internet. The authors describe obstacles to public health practitioners in making Internet connections and solutions to overcoming these barriers. They provide information from Federal and non-Federal sources about (1)why Internet connectivity is increasingly critical to public health organizations; (2) the types of connectivity that will be possible in the near term; and (3) how to overcome barriers -- such as organization characteristics, funding, human resources, and information security requirements -- that often prevent public health organizations from connecting to the Internet.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this presentation, the participants will be able to: 1. Identify at least three reasons why public health organizations should access the Internet. 2. Describe the types of technology that will be used to access the Internet over the next few years. 3. Identify ways of overcoming organizational, financial, human resource, and security barriers to internet connectivity at public health organizations
Keywords: Internet, Information Technology
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.