The Internet has become an important force in how physicians deliver care. Understanding more about physician information-seeking needs, behaviors, and uses is critical to CME providers to support a self-directed curriculum for each physician. A shift to increased use of electronic CME options points to new demands for users and providers. Specific information about how physicians create a question and search for resources is an area that requires providers to develop new skills.

The importance of the Internet to physician professional development is growing rapidly. Access to on-line continuing medical education must be immediate, relevant, credible, and easy to use. A sense of high utility demands content that is focused and well indexed. The roles of the CE provider must be reshaped to include helping physicians seek and construct the kind of knowledge they need to improve patient care.

Background: Using technology to access clinical information has become a critical skill for family physicians. The aims of this study were to assess the way family physicians use the Internet to look for clinical information and how their patterns vary from those of specialists. Further, we sought a better understanding of how family physicians used just-in-time information in clinical practice.

Although physicians are increasingly successful and confident in their Internet searching to answer questions raised in patient care, few choose to seek medical information during a patient encounter. Internet information access may facilitate overall reflection on practice; physicians do not yet use this access in a just-in-time manner for immediately solving difficult patient problems but instead continue to rely on consultation with colleagues. Professional association Web sites and point-of-care databases are helpful. From physicians' use of the Internet, professionals in continuing medical education must learn which search engines and sites are trusted and preferred.