Pediatric Internet resources. Creation and growth of the PEDINFO index
J. R. Roberts and S. A. Spooner
Department of Pediatrics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Children's Hospital, USA.
OBJECTIVE: To illustrate the growth of pediatric-related material on the
Internet as demonstrated by the growth and use of an index of pediatric
Internet resources. DESIGN: Descriptive analysis. METHODS: The log files of
the computer systems on which the PEDINFO index was implemented were
examined. File size of the index was measured, and a record of Internet
hosts that connected to the server each day was produced. A proportion of
Internet sites (n = 300) were examined for author reliability and practice
enhancement value. RESULTS: In a period of 14 months, the file size grew
from 7 kilobytes (KB) to more than 80 KB. By November 1995, usage exceeded
250 individuals per day and has since then leveled off to about 180 users
per day. Analysis of the domains of the users showed a shift from equal
proportion of "com" (commercially obtained Internet addresses) and "edu"
(educational institution) addresses to an increase in com addresses with a
stable proportion of edu addresses. One hundred twenty-seven sites
contained patient or parent information, and 62 sites contained reference
material. There was a wide range of author reliability ratings.
CONCLUSIONS: From the growth of PEDINFO, we conclude that an increase in
pediatric-related information available on the Internet is steady, much of
which is patient or parent educational material. We anticipate further
growth and use of the Internet in the exchange of information and cell for
further education regarding its use so that pediatricians can more easily
direct their patients to the most medically relevant sources.
