LONDON The UK's National Health Service (NHS) has launched a pilot version of an online library that will provide health care professionals with the knowledge and know-how to support health care decisions. With the stated aim of becoming of becoming "one of the greatest libraries of the world," the National electronic Library for Health (NeLH) will provide fast access to the latest thinking in health care services but will also act as a filter to ensure the reliability of the information it links to.

One of the main aims of the NeLH is to help patients and the public navigate their way through the vast amounts of health information available on the internet, much of which is of poor quality. A recent report by the NHS Information Authority stated: "The World Wide Web is not an unmitigated boon. People who hitherto had inadequate access to paper-based information, are now in...

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