Dr. Jose Pereira MBChB(SA) DA(SA)
Palliative Care Consultant in the Regional Palliative Care Program, Assistant Professor in the division of Palliative medicine, University of Alberta.

The Internet has revolutionized communication and has become a vehicle for the rapid exchange of information. The medical world is a part of that international exchange and with this homepage we hope to contribute to the information network and become a resource for information related to Palliative Medicine.

Our Web site was created with the health care professional in mind, hoping to appeal to primary care physicians, nurses and allied workers as well as to specialists in the fields related to Palliative Medicine. Although the focus remains on health care professionals, we have created a sub-page to provide basic information to assist patients, families and friends cope with the dying process.

The format of this Web site reflects the potential broad appeal. Users access the homepage via one of two routes; one for health professionals and another for patients and families. The homepage is still in its infancy and we hope that it will grow, and grow rapidly. The key to the success of the homepage will be participation from users like yourself—every contribution, whether it be in the form of a question, comment, sharing of clinical experience or research, case study or notice of an upcoming event, will help build the website further. The site will be dynamic, with frequent updates and postings of new tips, Journal watches, case studies, FAQ’s and research/publications every month. Topics previously posted will be stored in the archives for easy access by users.

Contributions to the Editorial pages, Journal watch, Tips for primary care physicians, and research and publications will come from team members of the Edmonton Palliative Care Program, and will therefore be a reflection of the philosophy, views and clinical practice of our group. On occasion, users may find certain views or practices to be different from their own. A mechanism is in place—using the e-mail access points throughout the homepage—for users to share their own views. If these comments found appropriate or interesting, we will post a summarized version of the comments on the page.

We hope you find our WEB SITE useful, and will continue returning to our site.