An introduction to the World Wide Web.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Anesthesiologists are increasingly utilizing the Internet for personal and professional purposes. Without guidance, the task of searching the Internet for information may be time-consuming and frustrating. This article includes a basic introduction to the Internet with suggestions and guidelines for accessing information resources. Future articles will address locating articles about human anatomy, regional anesthesia and pain medicine. EDITORS NOTE This is the first in an informal series of articles demonstrating and describing information technology. The articles will include nontechnical information and will detail the experiences and wisdom obtained from experienced anesthesiologists. The series is geared toward the computer novice with interest in regional anesthesia and pain medicine. These articles are also available in full text on the American Society of Regional Anesthesia website (www.asra.com) with links to the websites in the article.

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