Culling information from the Internet
Culling information from the Internet
By Stephen W. Earnhart, MS
President and CEO
Earnhart and Associates
Dallas
You hear about it all the time. You see it on TV, read about it in newspapers, and hear your kids talking about it. But what is the Internet, and how can it assist you in your role as a same-day surgery manager?
Contrary to what many people believe, the Internet is a vast resource library of information on virtually any topic or issue available. If you look long enough, you can find just about anything.
In its simplest form, the Internet is a collection or network of computers linked together via phone lines from around the world. In 1982, there were 213 computers "tied" together by this unofficial and undocumented "network." Today, there are literally millions.
Most of the access software has what is called a "search engine." This feature allows you to search for a topic or location by typing in certain key words. A fun way to start with this feature is to type in your own name. You might be impressed with what you find! A more practical application would be to type in "nurses surgery." You will find more than 15,000 locations to go to, with each of those locations giving you a "link" or new address for other similar locations.
If you do research on, for example, cataract surgery, you can find just about anything you're interested in knowing about it. You can read about ongoing research from physicians or scientists, beta sites, etc. Pick a disease entity, and search for the topics associated with it or research being done on it.
The degree of how it will assist you is limited only by your desire to seek the information. It is almost overwhelming.
Other applications it can provide to you is "chat." These are special places on the Internet where you can find your own particular interest, personal or professional. Via the computer keyboard, you can have one-on-one live conversations with your peer or with a large "room" of peers. This is especially helpful when you are looking for someone who has information about a certain topic, or you are seeking information about it. Chat rooms, as they are called, are extremely popular on the Internet, and they are open seven days a week, 24 hours a day.
On-line games are available by the thousands. You can play a live game with someone in Germany, or you can download new games from various locations everywhere on the Internet. (This is probably one of the features children you know use). Most of the games, software, etc. is completely free, or you pay for it after you use it for a while and find that you like it and want to buy it. If not, you don't pay for it.
E-mail (electronic mail) is another very large component of the Internet. You will establish your e-mail address once you log on to a server (I'll explain later). With e-mail, you can send and receive messages from all around the world to friends or relatives absolutely free of charge (depending upon your server) who are also on the Internet. In fact, this column is e-mailed via the Internet to Same Day Surgery in Atlanta from Dallas every month. No postage, no Federal Express charge, and no long distance toll call. Free.
You even can download movies from the Internet! Isn't it about time you learned more about what everyone else is talking about?
Chances are your hospital or ASC is already on the Internet via a Web site or home page. That refers to the Internet location where all sorts of information about your organization can be distributed. You can post job openings, job descriptions, user lists, fees, and just about anything else you want someone to know about you.
The Internet is not for your kids anymore. It is serious business, and what we have discussed here is only a slight fraction of its applications.
How did the Internet get started?
Contrary to what most people think, the Internet is not new; it has been around since 1982. It was started by members of the military as a way to communicate among themselves in the event that all other forms of communications were eliminated by a catastrophic event or war.
Until the last several years, access to the Internet by you and me was not practical. It wasn't until the development of high speed modems (the link between your computer and your telephone line to the outside world) that the Internet became popular. Once these higher speed modems became available to the general public at reasonable prices, virtually anyone with a computer and a modem could have access to the Internet. Connecting to various locations (sites), however, was difficult to achieve due to the complexity of the dial-up procedure.
That created an opportunity for a number of software companies to package a simplified program to reach these sites through their addresses or a URL (universal resource locator), which is really a pointer to a remote source on the Internet.
Probably the best known software to access the Internet today is Netscape Navigator. It received a great deal of attention last year when it went public in the stock market by soaring to more than $150 per share from a starting point of about $12 per share. Its rapid growth has spawned the development of dozens of other similar software packages, all with the basic function. These packages, also included in the popular on-line services such as Prodigy and America On-Line, allow access to the Internet for almost anyone.
The Internet is not restricted to the United States. It truly encompasses the globe and allows access to just about any business in the free world.
What do I need to get started?
Obviously, you need a computer. Computer prices have come down significantly over the last nine months with the advent of the newer, higher processors (Pentium 150 models) and other enhancements, so you can probably pick up a good middle-of-the-line computer at a price of about $1,700.
You can access the Internet with a 9,600 modem or a 14,000 modem, but they are going to be slow and frustrating to you. I would suggest a modem with a speed of 28,800. They cost about $175 now and are considered state of the art. At that speed, you won't spend most of your time waiting on the 'Net and can spend more time browsing and enjoying what it has to offer you.
You can access the Internet via most, if not all, of the current on-line services, i.e. Prodigy, CompuServe, America On-Line, etc., but they can get expensive. They typically charge a monthly access fee plus time spent on line beyond a set number of hours. The charge per hour can be as high as $3. While that may not seem like much, I typically spend two or three hours a night on the Internet researching projects, etc. So it adds up quickly! I would recommend the use of a local Internet access server. These companies are usually listed in local newspapers and charge a flat monthly fee. I have seen the fees as low as $9 per month for unlimited access. I would strongly suggest you pick up this type of service.
The Internet is here to stay and is growing. Soon, you will be able to access it over TVs, order your supplies, read novels, etc. from it. It's time to learn more about it!
[Editors' note: For more information on the Internet, see Same-Day Surgery, May 1996, p. 49. To provide feedback or suggest ideas for future columns, contact Stephen W. Earnhart. Earnhart and Associates, Dallas, TX 75252. Telephone: (214) 713-6626. E-mail: [email protected].] *
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