CMV RETINITIS AND TREATMENT CME Course on World Wide Web

The first AIDS/HIV CME course on the World Wide Web -- and one of the first CME courses by computer in any medical field -- begins operation on June 24. CMV RETINITIS AND TREATMENT offers one hour credit for physicians, nurses, and pharmacists; patients, advocates, and others interested can also take the course without credit. This module covers not only the approved treatments (ganciclovir and foscarnet), but also some experimental treatments and delivery systems available through clinical trials and other special programs to some patients. While the course is available throughout the world, it focuses on U.S. treatment approaches.

To prevent the material from becoming dated, this CMV module will be available for six months and then discontinued. Other AIDS-related CME modules will be online by that time.

This CMV course was written by Charles van der Horst, M.D., in a project sponsored jointly by Healthcare Communications Group and Medical Education Collaborative, and funded by an unrestricted educational grant from Roche Laboratories, Inc. The material was peer reviewed by the Clinical Care Options for HIV National Advisory Board, a panel of internationally recognized experts in HIV treatment.

Presentation on the Internet

The same material has been formatted differently and placed on two different Internet World Wide Web sites. Although the medical information is identical, there are substantial differences in the Web presentation which can affect how the end user receives the information. Because AIDS TREATMENT NEWS has a business relationship with Immunet, one of the organizations which has presented the material on the Web (see AIDS TREATMENT NEWS #247), we are uncomfortable judging or comparing two sites. But readers should know that the Immunet site was designed to work well with many different Web browsers and different Internet connections -- and "to address the needs and values of three unique communities: the medical, AIDS, and Web communities," according to Lisa Nelson, the site's graphic designer. The other site, by the Medical Education Collaborative, can also be reached through a link on the home page of the American Medical Association (http://www.ama-assn.org). (Note: the period at the end of the sentence is NOT part of this or other World Wide Web addresses.)

The Immunet site is at http://www.immunet.org/. The Medical Education Collaborative site can be reached through http://www.cmegateway.com.

Note: During the Vancouver conference, July 7-12, both Immunet and Medical Education Collaborative will present the same one-hour summary of each day of the conference; see separate announcement in this issue of AIDS TREATMENT NEWS.