Bases de datos, motores de búsqueda e índices temáticos: Herramientas fundamentales para el ejercicio médico

Abstract

Dissemination of Internet has changed traditional ways to transmit and acquire knowledge in every division; medicine, as a signature of constant challenges has not been isolated from this technology. After advent of informatics, biological and medical sciences have found an efficient way for knowledge globalization. This has improved the training and actualization of medical students and physicians; creating the urge to raise the efficiency of these channels of communication. With the aim to facilitate the access to scientific information through informatics ways, platforms have been developed to compile the information in form of databases, which can be access through other emerging technology such as search engines. Each web site has specific characteristics with strengths and weaknesses associated to them; medical students as well as physicians must be aware of this fact to properly take advantage of their use.