title: Utility of a thematic network in primary health care: a controlled interventional study in a rural area.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  UniNet is an Internet-based thematic network for a virtual community of users (VCU). It supports a virtual multidisciplinary community for physicians, focused on the improvement of clinical practice. This is a study of the effects of a thematic network such as UniNet on primary care medicine in a rural area, specifically as a platform of communication between specialists at the hospital and doctors in the rural area.
  
  
  METHODS
  In order to study the effects of a thematic network such as UniNet on primary care medicine in a rural area, we designed an interventional study that included a control group. The measurements included the number of patient displacements due to disease, number of patient hospital stays and the number of prescriptions of drugs of low therapeutic utility and generic drug prescriptions by doctors. These data were analysed and compared with those of the control center.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our study showed positive changes in medical practice, reflected in the improvement of the evaluated parameters in the rural health area where the interventional study was carried out, compared with the control area. We discuss the strengths and weaknesses of UniNet as a potential medium to improve the quality of medical care in rural areas.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The rural doctors had an effective, useful, user-friendly and cheap source of medical information that may have contributed to the improvement observed in the medical quality indices.
authors.affiliation: Research Unit, Hospital General Yagüe, Burgos, Spain. mjcoma@uninet.edu
authors.forename: Maria Jesús
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Coma del Corral
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Abaigar Luquín
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cordero Guevara
authors.forename: Angel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Olea Movilla
authors.forename: Gerardo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Torres Torres
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lozano Garcia