Impact of the Information Age on Residency Training: Communication, Access to Public Information, and Clinical Care

Access to technology in practice helps physicians manage information, communicate, and research topics; however, those in training receive almost no formal preparation for integrating web-based technologies into practice. One reason for this is that many faculty—aside from junior faculty or those in recent generations—did not grow up using Internet communication, may use it minimally, if at all, in their own practices, and may know little about its forms and varieties. This report presents a case to illustrate how these disparities may play out in the supervisory situation and makes suggestions about helping supervisors integrate technology-awareness into their teaching.