The internet is the first place many medical students go to research, whether it be for project work or writing-up lectures. Wikipedia is a good online resoure, but as we are all aware much of this material can be unreliable and indeed often pitched at the wrong entry level for aspiring doctors (and far too complex!).

There are various ‘revision notes’ websites out there, but most seem rather half-hearted, covering some areas in great depth and others with less than a couple of bullet points. These revision sites are also un-inspirational and boring in format and delivery.

Text books also let medical students down in their early years of study. There is nothing quite like the mad pilgrimage to Blackwell followed by the terrible sinking feeling as you open your brand new copy of Davidson’s, only to realise you don’t understand a single word of concepts being discussed. Significantly, and from personal experience, it seems that conventional text books do a poor job of linking prior learning at school to undergraduate study.

Learnmedicine.org.uk is interactive and colourful, will eventually be comprehensive, and is specifically designed for this often overlooked group of students in their first few years of study.

The project was originally self-funded, but has recently secured some sponsorship from Wesleyan Medical Sickness in Edinburgh and the Medical Protection Society to cover the cost of hosting and owning the ‘learnmedicine.org.uk’ domain name.

I have recruited a team of about 14 fellow students from across the UK to help me with the site, and the next step will be to add more video content. Videos will allow us to introduce more complex topics in a way akin to one-to-one tuition. We'd also like to commission short films of medical professionals talking through some of the more complex anatomical/physiological/pathological/pharmacological features, and plan to give students the opportunity to present on film their own areas of special interest to give them a chance at ‘peer-assisted’ learning.

If you are interested in finding out more about learnmedicine, or would like to contribute to the site, please contact me at learnmedicine.org.uk@googlemail