Computer Access to Treatment Information

AIDS information by computer is available 24 hours a day,
from any location with a telephone -- often for no cost
except for a local or long-distance call. More AIDS
information is available this way than in any library -- and
often it's more recent information, since there is no
printing or mailing delay. Also, some computer systems
include powerful searching facilities to help users locate
what they want. Other advantages of computer communication
are that there is no phone tag, time zones don't matter, and
copies can be retransmitted easily and with no loss of
quality. These systems also offer privacy, and the
convenience of not needing to leave your home or office.

The main disadvantage is the difficulty of getting started.
The computer industry has consistently done poorly in making
its equipment and software easy to use. Those who are not
already familiar with computers, and are not technically
inclined, should find someone to help them begin.

What about cost? Most people do not buy a computer just for
information access, but use one which is already available at
home, at work, or through friends or organizations. If the
computer does not already have a "modem" -- the device that
connects it to a telephone line -- one can be purchased for
about $100. Aside from the equipment cost, there may also be
charges for using the remote computer. This article, however,
focuses mainly on free systems.

One disadvantage and advantage together is that, in many
cases, anyone can distribute information through these
channels because they are not tightly controlled like
professional peer-reviewed journals or carefully edited
newsletters. The full spectrum of opinions and ideas is
present. Sometimes many messages will come from a few people
with an axe to grind. Alternative and mainstream ideas may be
mixed together, as well as professional and lay opinions.
This medium encourages information exchange and lively
debate; but users should realize that accuracy and
reliability will vary.

About This Article

Our focus here is on computer bulletin board systems (BBS)
which specialize in AIDS information, and which do not charge
for access. This article does not cover research databases,
which usually have much more comprehensive and better
organized information, but are expensive and generally used
by professionals. (Such research systems are very important,
however, and we may review this subject later.)

This article does not focus on electronic mail, although we
mention it in passing. For more information about electronic
mail, see AIDS TREATMENT NEWS #172, April 2, 1993.

The list below is not comprehensive because of the large
number of BBS systems. We selected a few to give our readers
a place to begin, and a sense of the variety available.

Technical notes:

(1) If you need to deal with communication settings in your
software, all the systems below use no parity, 8 data bits,
and 1 stop bit.

(2) Although we do not cover electronic mail, we do include
an Internet address for some of the systems listed below, for
the convenience of anyone who may want to communicate with
the system operators in this way. Otherwise, you can ignore
the Internet address.

Selected Bulletin Board Systems (BBS)

* HIV/AIDS Information BBS. Modem phone, 714/248-2836.
Internet address: mary.elizabeth@aegis.hivnet.org

This comprehensive information collection is current and
easily accessible; simply stated, this is one of the best.
HIV/AIDS Information BBS also serves as the central hub of
the AEGIS (AIDS Education General Information System) network
which links AIDS-related bulletin boards and networks in many
U.S. and Canadian cities, and in Africa, Asia, Australia, and
Europe.

For a complete list of the other AEGIS systems, plus some
other AIDS bulletin boards (one of which may be reachable by
a local call in your city, saving long-distance charges),
select "<G>ENA/AEGIS Affiliate BBS Directory," under the
system's main menu. Most other systems will not have all of
the information available on HIV/AIDS Information BBS. [Note:
When the listing stops at the end of a page, type the Enter
or Return key for an additional page -- or type Q to quit
this directory and return to the main menu.]

As with many bulletin board systems, HIV/AIDS Information BBS
consists of two basic parts: a message area and a file area.
The message area allows you to read and write messages,
either to public, subject-specific conferences, or privately
to other AEGIS users through electronic mail. The AEGIS
public conferences available are AIDS.DATA, AIDS.DIALOGUE,
AIDS.DRUGS, AIDS.NEWS, AIDS.SPIRITUAL, AIDS.TRIALS, and
AIDS.WOMEN. Users can post relevant information, ask
questions, or simply read what others have written. In
addition to these AEGIS conferences, the system makes
available: HIVNet (which is a European sister organization to
AEGIS, with conferences in French, German, and Dutch);
FidoNet conferences AIDS/ARC, AIDS-HIV, ACTUP, and THE WHITE
HOUSE; as well as the Internet Newsgroups sci.med.aids and
bionet.molbio.hiv. (Some of these conferences are read-only
for users of HIV/AIDS Information BBS.)

The second component is the files area. Known on this system
as Online Library Services, it has over 80,000 files
available for reading immediately or for downloading
(transmitting to your computer for use later), with hundreds
of new files added each month. These files include
information on current AIDS-related treatment, research,
epidemiology/surveillance, education/prevention, etc.,
available from the U.S. Public Health Service, National
Institutes of Health, National Institute of Allergies and
Infectious Diseases, Food and Drug Administration, Centers
for Disease Control, National AIDS Information Clearinghouse,
and National Library of Medicine. Several newsletters are
available, including AIDS TREATMENT NEWS, Being Alive,
Critical Path AIDS Project, STEP Perspective from Seattle
Treatment Education Project, and Treatment Issues from Gay
Men's Health Crisis. Information is also available from major
newspapers and wire services. Other resources include
conference proceedings, research abstracts, an AIDS
bibliography for books in print, a glossary of AIDS-related
terminology, an introductory course in AIDS, and a listing of
AIDS support organizations.

This is only a brief overview of the some of materials
available. To make the information more accessible, a keyword
search is provided. Users can search most of the databases
using up to ten keywords, which can be combined using the
operators 'and', 'or', and 'not'. After the search, the
results are presented and the user is given the choice of
viewing the text immediately, or downloading the files for
reading later.

We encourage people to connect with this system to explore it
for themselves. Callers have immediate free access to the
bulletin board, though each caller is limited to 40 minutes
per call, 6 calls daily because the demand is high. Callers
who wish to remain anonymous may log on as "aids info," but
then they can only read information; it is necessary to
register to get permission to write to the conferences.

Once connected, we strongly recommend reading the notice for
first-time callers, available from the main menu. It provides
some important information regarding the use of this system.

If you have difficulty or questions, you may contact the
system operator, Mary Elizabeth, by voice telephone at
714/248-5843 (9 am to 4 pm Pacific time). She is willing to
provide whatever assistance may be necessary.

* AIDS Info BBS. Modem phone, 415/626-1246. Once the system
answers, reply with one or two carriage returns. Further
instructions will be provided.

This is another excellent resource for gathering AIDS
treatment information. Despite similar names, it is separate
from the one above. The AIDS Info BBS is a free bulletin
board system specializing strictly in AIDS information.
Started in San Francisco in July 1985 by Ben Gardiner, this
free bulletin board has provided the community quality AIDS
information since its inception. Like the above system, this
BBS also offers users anonymous access to an extensive online
AIDS Library.

AIDS Info BBS also has the unique advantage of eight years of
operation; for those interested in the history of the
epidemic, it has archives created by community response to
events now past. Its other resources include several
publications (including AIDS TREATMENT NEWS), statistics and
epidemiology reports from the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control, an open forum for posting, requesting, or discussing
information, and electronic mail for use within the system.
Users should note, however, that this system utilizes a
command language that is unique and somewhat outdated.
Although the system remains useful and fully functional, it
is not the more modern communication technology used by some
other systems.

* Critical Path AIDS Project BBS. Modem phone, 215/463-7160.
At LOGIN prompt, type 'bbs'. Internet address:
kiyoshi@cpp.pha.pa.us.

This free system is an excellent resource for AIDS treatment,
research, and policy information. Users may log on with a
pseudonym, or they may register with a real name (which is
required for users who wish to use electronic mail
facilities). Resources available include AIDS treatment
periodicals, full-text ACTG (AIDS Clinical Trials Group)
research protocols, International AIDS Conference abstracts,
resource directories, public benefits information, and
numerous discussion areas including one for ACT UP. This
bulletin board system utilizes Magpie software which is
unlike most other BBS. For the beginner, it may be difficult
to use, so it is recommended that new users take full
advantage of the online tutorial and user's manual. For
assistance with the BBS, or to access other services offered
by Critical Path AIDS Project, call 215/545-2212 (24-hours a
day).

* HNS HIV-NET. (Home Nutrition Services, Inc.) Modem phone,
800/788-4118.

Funded by a home health care corporation, this system's
primary focus is to provide doctors and allied health care
professionals treating HIV disease an opportunity to network
and exchange information. Other users eligible for access
include those involved in the care of persons living with
AIDS/HIV (including office managers, social workers, nurses,
pharmacists, and community service organizations). Access is
free -- but limited to those who are eligible. Interested
individuals must log on, answer registration questions, and
then call back in 24 to 48 hours to see if they have been
accepted.

* AIDSNET BBS. Modem phone, 607/777-2158.

Operated by the Decker School of Nursing, State University of
New York at Binghamton, this system is designed to aid in the
delivery of healthcare to persons living with HIV/AIDS in
rural, upstate New York. It provides nursing consultation,
case management, social support, health education, and AIDS
treatment information. Although this service is targeted to
serve clients in New York State with the intent to improve
their home healthcare, it may be used by anyone. The system
is free.

* Black Bag BBS. Modem phone, 302/994-3772.

This is a medical information network operated by Edward Del
Grosso, M.D. It deals with a wide range of medical issues,
not only HIV/AIDS. The message area reflects the diversity of
the materials found on this system with virtually every
medical discipline having a forum for the discussion of
topics of concern. This includes information about AIDS, as
well as several disability-oriented discussions. A collection
of medical software (public domain and shareware) is
available for downloading.

This system includes an interactive text-based database of
diseases, medical procedures, medications, symptoms, and
treatments. Also available is the Black Bag Medical BBS List,
of over 240 bulletin board systems all over the world which
primarily address one of the following areas: medicine,
science, alcohol and drug dependency, disabilities, or
psychology. The numbers are verified every three months.

Other Resources

* sci.med.aids (a Newsgroup available on the Internet).

This is the foremost resource for AIDS information on the
Internet. The moderators who run this Newsgroup state that it
reaches 20,000 active subscribers, in all fifty states and in
100 countries. Readers should note that one can only read
sci.med.aids through HIV/AIDS Information BBS (as explained
above) and some other systems. In order to write messages to
sci.med.aids, one must be able to send electronic mail to an
Internet address.

Many resources are available through sci.med.aids. The users
of the Internet and sci.med.aids tend to be associated with
universities, research groups, and other professional
organizations. Research abstracts, treatment newsletters,
press releases, clinical trials announcements, and news
summaries can all be found in this Newsgroup. The organizers
of this resource act as moderators, screening material before
it is posted. People who access sci.med.aids will find it to
be a lively forum for debate and information sharing among
those working with AIDS-related issues.

* CAIN (Computerized AIDS Information Network). Available on
the Delphi network; Delphi username: lacain. For more
information, call [new number] 213/845-4180. Internet address:
lacain@delphi.com.

This system is operated by the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian
Community Services Center with support from the State of
California Office of AIDS. Online communication and AIDS
information services are available, including bibliographic,
research, resource/referral, treatment, epidemiology, and
education/prevention materials. Primarily serving California
AIDS agencies, the resources reflect regional issues,
although national statistics and information are also
available. The network is designed to allow members to
contribute information to the various databases. In addition
to California agencies, the general public and persons with
AIDS may also find the system useful.

To use CAIN, one must subscribe to the Delphi Network (a
large, commercial "information utility") and pay a minimum
monthly fee. As a result, anonymous access in not available.

But one advantage is that Delphi (along with many other
systems, including America Online, CompuServe, PeaceNet,
etc.) has a "gateway" for sending and receiving electronic
mail through the Internet. This means, for example, that
subscribers can submit material to sci.med.aids, as described
above. BBS systems, which allow free and often anonymous
access, seldom provide their users with access to the
Internet.

To subscribe to CAIN, use your computer to call 800/365-4636,
and press <return> once or twice. At the PASSWORD prompt,
enter "GLCSC" (without quotes). The system will then provide
further instructions. For voice assistance, call 800/695-
4005.