A consortium of rural hospitals and the University of Nevada System health science library facilities has been formed to develop a statewide Computer Assisted Medical Information Link(CAMIL). Using computer, telefacsimile(fax), and electronic telecommunications technology, this project will eliminate or reduce the enormous geographic barriers to the delivery of relevant and current health care information, and will raise the awareness of rural practitioners to the many resources available to them. The goal of the consortium is to efficiently link Nevada's rural health care professionals to the many sources of biomedical information, so they can obtain needed information quickly and provide quality care to their patients. CAMIL workstations, consisting of a computer, modem, printer, and FAX machine, will be placed in each of the 13 rural hospitals in Nevada. Grateful Med and Loansome Doc software will be installed so that searches of the appropriate MEDLARS databases can be run and requests for needed articles can be entered into the project network. An electronic bulletin board service will also be provided. This will link the participating health care providers with the project staff, especially the reference librarians, and with other rural health care providers. The CAMIL workstations will be linked by modem and FAX to the Savitt Medical Library (SML) at the University of Nevada School of Medicine in Reno, the health sciences library facilities at the AHEC Program Learning Resource Center at the Northern Nevada Community College, library (NNCC) in Elko, and to the AHEC Program Learning Resources Center at the Health Sciences Center in Las Vegas. AHEC and SML staff will be responsible for delivery and set up of the CAMIL workstations. SML and AHEC staff and a circuit rider librarian will be responsible for training in the use of the hardware and software. A workstation manager and an alternate from each hospital will learn about the system at two workshops to be held in Elko. They will then be responsible for holding workshops for other health care providers in their own communities. AHEC Learning Resource Center, NNCC, and SML staff will be available by phone to provide technical assistance on the use of the hardware and software, including searching strategies. AHEC staff and the circuit rider librarian will make at least two site visits to each rural hospital to provide assistance and additional training during the project year. Health care providers, participating rural hospitals and other agencies will use the CAMIL workstation to search MEDLINE and other NLM data bases, and will use Loansome Doc for requesting journal articles. Articles will be faxed or mailed as requested. Health care providers will also use the CAMIL workstation to communicate with the professional librians at SML and NNCC for reference services, to access a catalog of AHEC Learning Resource Center print and audiovisual materials, to borrow a book or audiovisual, to access a listing of continuing education offerings, and to request technical assistance.
