The Pharmaceutical Journal introduced its new website, PJOnline, at this year's British Pharmaceutical Conference. The new service will give pharmacists instant access to a daily news service, the contents of the current issue of The Pharmaceutical Journal, as well as the latest job advertisements. Users will also be able to search through an archive of back issues, but as Ms Nada Savitch (the PJ's online website controller) points out, the back catalogue only starts with the issue of August 4, 1999.
One of the first visitors to the PJ stand at Pharmex was the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's President (Mrs Christine Glover), who took the chance to read up about the latest advice on pre-eclampsia.
"The great thing is that it does facilitate accessing information and having that information on hand at any time," Mrs Glover said. She added that with the hard copy of the PJ she often found that she was reading it in her kitchen at home, leaving it there accidentally and then finding that it would have been useful to have it in the pharmacy.
Simplicity was a key issue in her opinion: "It has got to be user friendly." So, what was her verdict after her first session? "It seems to be quite straight forward."
To Janet Boardman, the website's news section proved to be the most useful part of the service, especially as there can be delays getting the printed version to Alderney — the Channel Island where she works.
"You have access to all the information immediately and at the click of a button rather than having to go through lots of back issues," she enthused.
A daily news service will be a feature of the site, which will be free of charge. Anyone with an internet connection can access PJOnline at www.pharmj.com.
The picture shows the President in conversation with Nada Savitch at the exhibition stand where PJOnline was being demonstrated.
