Significant obstacles exist in delivering health care to rural Montana. Rural medical professionals need to stay current in advancing technologies and treatments, yet there are few educational opportunities available. It is unrealistic under present conditions to expect rural professionals to keep up with the latest information in every specialty and treatment. The ability of rural health care professionals to easily obtain health science information is an unnecessary obstacle to good care. The rural delivery system becomes more efficient when larger magnet hospitals share education and advancing technology with primary hospitals. This is well-documented. Systematically addressing the health needs of a large, sparsely populated area requires cooperation and consensus among hospitals and health providers. St. Patrick Hospital's experience leading the Northern Rockies Cardiac Network has demonstrated the benefits of hospitals working together. For two years, our Network has provided professional and public education, and helped deliver advanced technologies to medically underserved areas. The goal of the project is to link remote Montana health professionals to health sciences information from the National Library of Medicine. We will establish the electronic technology to access Grateful Med (version 5.15 or 6.0) at the 11 participating hospitals of the Northern Rockies Cardiac Network. None of these rural hospitals have this capability. Secondly, we will train an """"""""Outreach Specialist"""""""" at each institution to be an on-site resource for learners. Third, we will establish a """"""""circuit rider' who will provide """"""""hands-on"""""""" training for physicians an other professionals. This person will help professionals access health sciences information at their own hospitals. Finally, we will evaluate the effectiveness of our program and share our experience with other consortia of hospitals.
