Design and Implementation of a Web directory for Medical Education (WDME): a Tool to Facilitate Research in Medical Education

Background: Access to the medical resources on the web is one of current challenges for researchers and medical science educators. Thepurpose of current project was to design and implement a comprehensive and specific subject/web directory of medical education. Methods: First, the categories to be incorporated in the directory were defined throughreviewing related directories and obtaining medical education experts’opinions in a focus group. Then, number of sources such as (Meta) search engines, subject directories, databases and library catalogs searched/browsedfor selecting and collecting high quality resources. Finally, the website was designed and the resources were entered into the directory. Results: The main categories incorporating WDME resources are: Journals, Organizations,Best Evidence in Medical Education, and Textbooks. Each category is dividedinto subcategories and related resources of each category are describedshortly within it. The resources in this directory could be accessed both by browsing and keyword searching. WDME is accessible on http://medirectory.org. Conclusions: The innovative Web Directory for Medical Education(WDME) presented in this paper, is more comprehensive than other existingdirectories, and expandable through user suggestions. It may help medical educators to find their desirable resources more quickly and easily; hence have more informed decisions in education.