Computer-generated graphical presentations: use of multimedia to enhance communication

Live surgery in neurosurgical training courses: essential infrastructure and technical set-up

BACKGROUND

Training courses in neurosurgery are essential educational elements of residency. Teaching methods vary due to cultural differences, monetary restrictions and infrastructure conditions. Anatomical dissection courses combined with annotated live surgeries performed by senior surgeons have proved to be best accepted by students.

OBJECTIVE

In this technical note, we provide detailed information about the necessary requirements, resources and optimal performance of live surgeries in neurosurgical training courses.

METHODS AND RESULTS

From 2007 to 2012, 12 neurosurgical training courses with live surgeries were organised at the Department of Neurosurgery. Here, we share our experience and report the essential set-up for these courses. Our department organised seven skull base, four cervical spine and one spinal cord stimulation hands-on dissection course with live surgeries. The course structure included lectures, cadaver dissections and live surgeries. The technical set-up included video transmission via an IP-based network with fibreglass backbone between the operating theatre (OR) and lecture room. During surgery, bidirectional discussions offered the participants the ability to interject and ask questions. Important issues included the careful selection of live operated patients with clearly presented pathology for the didactic cases used to demonstrate the technique. A live surgery should include the entire procedure: intraoperative set-up, positioning, anaesthesiological procedures and handling of intraoperative situations.

CONCLUSION

A professionally prepared step-by-step educational program including surgical anatomy, cadaver dissection and live surgeries with online discussion offers a high level of training and enriches both the participants and instructors.

Tele-diagnostic and therapeutic guidance in urology

PURPOSE

To design a Web-based network for diagnostic and therapeutic guidance in urology.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We designed an architectural model of a low-cost multimedia Web platform that runs on a collection of distributed collaborative network nodes to provide a set of urologist-oriented Web-enabled services. Any node of the platform was able to share patient-oriented data via automated processes with appropriate authorization, confidentiality, and high-security protocols. The urologist can show the details of the records of patients and additionally enrich the world experience with his or her own cases. Video clips maintained locally at the nodes will be accessible by clinicians in a trouble-free way with MS Windows Media player and a relatively small amount of source code.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

The primary advantage of this architectural model is that it provides Web-enabled integrated urologic services while using a distributed storage scheme for urological video files (AVI format) and a global repository of laboratory results using Extensible Markup Language (XML) and Data Grid technologies. In addition, this model provides decision-support services (knowledge from a global database and predefined procedures). The architecture model is based entirely on HTTP, XML, GRID-like environment and DotNet technologies. Finally, the platform provides extensibility and scalability targeted to large-scale Web-enabled global urologic databases.

Infectious disease images on the World Wide Web

Infectious diseases (ID) physicians are often in need of medical images to enhance their teaching, research, and clinical practice. We explored the Internet for Web sites with images that would be useful to ID physicians. A total of 24 sites were included for review. Of these, 10 sites were broad in their scope and included images of bacteria, parasites, viruses, and/or fungi. In addition, 4 sites reviewed were specific for fungi, 4 sites were specific for viruses, and 6 sites focused on parasites. The number and size of images, copyright restrictions, and fees were noted for all sites. The authors gave each site a subjective navigation and layout score. Features of the sites, including microscopy images, laboratory images, clinical images, clinical vignettes, medical illustrations and/or clip art, medical illustrations of life cycles, slides of educational material, radiographs, and animation or video, were also described. A variety of image resources are available to the ID physician.

Imaging and the Internet

Internet-based imaging is changing the way urology services are delivered by allowing rapid communication between remote locations. This review focuses on Internet-based imaging modalities, the hardware needed to transmit and view these images, and current applications. With the continuing expansion of Internet-based resources, all physicians must become accustomed to integrating the Internet and Internet-based imaging into their practices.

Multimedia to teach urology to medical students

OBJECTIVES

To test the hypothesis that an interactive multimedia-based computer application may be used to teach urology to undergraduate medical students.

METHODS

Third-year medical students rotating on their urology clerkship were studied. Student knowledge was measured with a multiple choice test administered in a pretest-post-test experimental design. The educational intervention was a multimedia-based application that presented a clinical module on hematuria, using natural language-like entries. Student attitudes toward the multimedia application were assessed by a survey.

RESULTS

Twenty-three consecutive third-year medical students participated. Mean pretest and post-test scores +/- standard deviation were 35%+/-11% versus 74%+/-17%, respectively, P<0.0001. Student questionnaire responses indicated highly positive opinions that the multimedia-based module was easy to use, was fun, provided natural patient responses, had clear exercises, provided immediate feedback, was educational, and had a nonthreatening format, and that the multiple choice questions were clear and fair.

CONCLUSIONS

Multimedia-based education may be used to teach urology to undergraduate medical students.