Why Medscape Worked: A Look Back

Medscape and JAMA both launched websites in 1995. It was soon obvious that most American physicians knew next to nothing about the internet and were not even knowledgeable about computers. Many feared them. Fewer than 20% used computers for any purpose.

The American Medical Association (AMA) recognized that computers were of increasing importance. While physicians generally preferred to keep computers out of their offices except for scheduling and billing purposes, the intelligent use of computers, including accessing the internet, would become critical to successful medical practices