Medscape

Medscape is a web resource for physicians and health professionals. It features peer-reviewed original medical journal articles, CME (Continuing Medical Education), a customized version of the National Library of Medicine's MEDLINE database, daily medical news, major conference coverage, and drug informationâ€"including a drug database (Medscape Drug Reference, or MDR) and drug interaction checker. All content in Medscape is available free of charge for professionals and consumers alike, but registration is required.

History

In May 1995, Medscape, Inc. was launched in New York's Silicon Alley by SCP Communications, Inc., under the direction of Peter Frishauf.

In February 1999, medical editor George D. Lundberg was hired as the editor-in-chief of Medscape. For 17 years prior to joining Medscape he had served as Editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association. In September of that year, Medscape, Inc. went public and began trading on NASDAQ under the symbol MSCP.

In May 2000, Medscape merged with MedicaLogic, Inc., another public company. MedicaLogic filed for bankruptcy within 18 months and sold Medscape to WebMD in December 2001.

In 2008, Lundberg was terminated by WebMD. The following year, it was announced that no new articles would be accepted for the Medscape Journal of Medicine, a Medscape journal that Lundberg started in 1999.

In 2009, WebMD released an iOS application of Medscape CME, followed by an Android version two years later.

Reception

A 2008 comparative analysis of Medscape Drug Reference versus Wikipedia concluded that drug monographs on Medscape Drug Reference were more comprehensive, and Wikipedia articles had more errors of omission. That conclusion caught the attention of mainstream media.

References

Further reading

• Oransky, Ivan (31 January 2009). "RIP: The Medscape Journal of Medicine, an open-access pioneer, stops publishing new papers". Scientific American. 
• Frishauf, Peter. "Medscape â€" The First Five Years". Medscape. (registration required (help)). 
• Lundberg, George D. "The First 10 Years of Medscape, 1995-2005: From Delusion Through Vision to a Culture" (video editorial). Medscape. (registration required (help)). 

External links

• Official website (registration required)
• Medscape Drug Interaction Checker

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