The internet and the globalisation of medical education

The internet permits the global distribution of medical education and has created new and exciting opportunities for academic institutions, educators, publishers, and investors. The BMJ Publishing Group, for example, has announced an agreement with a California company to develop “online case-based learning modules for the continuing medical education (CME) requirements of family practitioners globally.”1 These bold initiatives may overlook several important questions. What is the effectiveness of internet education, will students use it, and can a program that works in one setting be transferred to another?2 What about the economics? Our medical centre has expertise in skin cancer that could be of benefit to others. We have collaborated with a local company to develop …