March 24, 2005
UNOS Celebrates 10 Years Online
In early 1995, the "Internet" was just becoming a household word, and the concept of a "World-Wide Web" site was even less familiar. Most people using the Internet back then accessed e-mails and, perhaps, retrieved text or data from gopher and FTP sites.
Yet months earlier, UNOS foresaw the value of the web to provide data, policies and up-to-date information to anyone with Internet access. The first version of the UNOS web site went online in March 1995, developed jointly by UNOS' Communications and Information Technology Departments. UNOS' site is believed to be the second ever developed to address organ transplantation.
The first interface to the UNOS site was kept very simple by design. Many early web browsers were very slow by today's standards, and use of sophisticated multicolor graphics bogged down accessibility to the public. Interactivity with the site was also limited; the only "contact UNOS" option for site users was the listing of two UNOS staff members' e-mail addresses at the bottom of the home page.
Today the Internet is a major force in society, not only as a source of data and information but as a fundamental communications tool for hundreds of millions of people worldwide. UNOS has repeatedly revised and upgraded its site to meet new needs and capabilities and provide for greater interaction and feedback from users. The OPTN site addresses topics specific to the national transplant network, and Transplant Living answers the particular questions and needs of transplant candidates and recipients. Most transplant-related organizations in the United States and many more worldwide have also launched their own sites. When these efforts are viewed collectively, organ transplantation may be the medical specialty with the most detailed data and information readily available to the public.
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