Two University of Nebraska Medical Center physicians have created a
CD-ROM that could literally revolutionize the way health care professionals
learn how to perform key medical procedures.
Two years ago, Mosby, the world’s largest publisher of medical journals,
asked Robert Wigton, M.D., to write a reference manual to teach internal
medicine and primary care physicians the seven internal medicine procedures
they must be able to perform for certification. The product would give
physicians, medical residents (doctors in training) and medical students,
the ability to learn, refresh or improve their skills in seven important
medical procedures.
Dr. Wigton accepted with a compromise. He told the company the best
way to teach the procedures would be through the use of computer CD-ROM
technology and a manual. Mosby awarded Dr. Wigton a $40,000 grant to produce
a CD-ROM computer software/reference manual package.
Dr. Wigton authored the text and colleague, Thomas Tape, M.D., was co-author.
Both are internists. Dr. Wigton is an associate dean in the College of
Medicine and internal medicine and Dr. Tape is an associate professor of
internal medicine. They said their product, done with the help of other
UNMC physicians and staff, is the world’s first CD-ROM that teaches seven
basic internal medicine procedures on CD-ROM combining text, still photographs
and video.
In the past, students and practitioners have relied predominantly on
manuals to learn the procedures or refresh their skills. The CD-ROM combines
text with video that shows how the procedure is actually done, Dr. Wigton
said.
"It’s the only one of its kind out there," said Dr. Wigton.
"I know because I’ve looked for others on the market and haven’t found
anything."
The product, described as user-friendly and easy-to-read, is titled
"Procedural Skills for Internal Medicine: A New Program to Help Internists
Build and Assess Clinical Competence."
It has been available for four months through Mosby and medical libraries
across the country. More than 1,000 CD-ROM and reference manual packages
have been sold nationwide for $195 each, and more than 500 individual copies
of the reference manual at about $25.
Dr. Tape said physicians nationwide could benefit from the CD-ROM package,
including potentially 1,000 to 1,500 physicians in Nebraska. With the continued
growth of managed health care, Drs. Wigton and Tape said there is a greater
interest among other physicians to get certified in these procedures. Dr.
Tape said the software and manual helps physicians with practices who graduated
years ago and need to brush up on or learn new skills.
"We’ve incorporated newer techniques that some physicians who graduated
10 years ago wouldn’t know," said Dr. Tape. "Since that time,
there’s been new equipment in medicine."
"In order to admit patients to hospitals, especially if affliliated
with health maintenance organizations, hospitals are getting more stringent
in requiring physicians to be certified in these procedures," said
Dr. Wigton. "This is a resource for all physicians, including family
physicians whose duties may overlap with these seven internal medicine
procedures."
"With the CD-ROM, we not only describe a procedure but with a click
of a button, we can show through video how the procedure is performed,"
said Dr. Tape. "You can move forwards and backwards through the procedure
if you don’t understand or skip over parts you already understand."
Drs. Wigton and Tape said as they produced this CD, they learned a lot
of different techniques and tricks to doing procedures better. "From
UNMC specialists we gathered all the right ways to do these procedures
and standardized the procedures."