Enhancing physicians' use of Alcoholics Anonymous: Internet-based training.
BACKGROUND
Alcoholics Anonymous is not yet fully employed by the medical community as a means to enhance patient outcome. The purpose of this study was to evaluate visitors' use of an Internet course on Alcoholics Anonymous, and to compare how various disciplines learned about, gained access to and participated in the course.


METHODS
Demographic information was collected from 414 visitors to the course.


RESULTS
64% of the 414 respondents received their last educational degree within the last 10 years, and had an interest in the topic of addiction prior to their accessing the site. 294 (71%) of those who accessed the course completed it, and those who accessed it learned about it from various sources other than print advertisement in professional journals. Within the 230 physician respondents, 143 (62%) were psychiatrists, 82 (78%) of whom learned about the Internet course via professional journal.


CONCLUSIONS
Given the need for further training among physicians in the use of Alcoholics Anonymous, the Internet can be utilized to make information available to a large number of people. Because it allows the user to access information outside the traditional means, the barriers to its use are minimal, and it has the potential to effectively convey useful clinical information.
Sellers
Brealyn
B
Division of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, New York University Medical School, New York, NY 10016, USA.
Galanter
Marc
M
Dermatis
Helen
H
Nachbar
Martin
M
D000436:Alcoholics Anonymous; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003194:Computer-Assisted Instruction; D003479:Curriculum; D004501:Education, Medical; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D011570:Psychiatry / Q000193:education*; D013038:Specialization; D014481:United States