SAN FRANCISCO — Internet entrepreneurs are teaming with doctors, researchers and other medical professionals to create what they hope will be the Web's largest body of health information.
Modeled on the online encyclopedia Wikipedia, but written and edited only by trained professionals, the Medpedia Project will gather the kind of knowledge usually confined to academic circles and make it understandable and available to consumers.
"This is the most novel effort I am aware of to fill this need that really does exist out there, to develop a mechanism for medical experts and patients and families to interact," said Joseph B. Martin, former dean of the medical schools at Harvard University and UC San Francisco who is serving as an advisor to Medpedia.
The website will be officially launched at year's end. A preview site can be found at www.medpedia.com.
It is one in a growing number of efforts to bring healthcare into the 21st century. As the push to use technology to empower patients gains momentum, healthcare providers and Internet companies are experimenting with online tools.
Google Inc. and Microsoft Corp. offer health services that allow consumers to manage their medical records and receive health advice online. Websites such as Healthline, Revolution Health and WebMD provide information about diseases and treatment options. There are specialized search engines, online patient support groups and rating sites for doctors and hospitals.
Yet many online users get frustrated sifting through all of the results when researching health issues online.
"Medicine is one of the least developed areas of the Internet, and at the same time one of the areas that can be most improved by the Internet," said James Currier, founder and chairman of Medpedia.
The concept has generated support from prominent members of the medical establishment.
Physicians, medical schools, hospitals, health organizations and public health professionals have signed on to assist in building Medpedia's comprehensive medical clearinghouse. Among them are Harvard Medical School, Stanford School of Medicine and the UC Berkeley School of Public Health.
Others, such as the University of Michigan Medical School, will encourage their faculty to edit Medpedia. The site will also receive content from the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control, and it's exploring the possibility of providing information on clinical trials for various diseases and conditions.
