759–5 Use of an Interactive Electronic Whiteboard to Teach Clinical Cardiology Decision Analysis to Medical Students

We used innovative state-of-the-art computer and collaboration technologies to teach first-year medical students an analytic methodology to solve difficult clinical cardiology problems to make informed medical decisions. Clinical examples included the decision to administer thrombolytic therapy considering the risk of hemorrhagic stroke, and activity recommendations for athletes at risk for sudden death. Students received instruction on the decision-analytic approach which integrates pathophysiology, treatment efficacy, diagnostic test interpretation, health outcomes, patient preferences, and cost-effectiveness into a decision-analytic model.The traditional environment of a small group and blackboard was significantly enhanced by using an electronic whiteboard, the Xerox LiveBoard™. The LiveBoard features an 80486-based personal computer, large (3’×4’) display, and wireless pens for input. It allowed the integration of decision-analytic software, statistical software, digital slides, and additional media. We developed TIDAL (Team Interactive Decision Analysis in the Large-screen environment), a software package to interactively construct decision trees, calculate expected utilities, and perform one- and two-way sensitivity analyses using pen and gesture inputs. The Live Board also allowed the novel incorporation of Gambler, a utility assessment program obtained from the New England Medical Center. Gambler was used to obtain utilities for outcomes such as non-disabling hemorrhagic stroke. The interactive nature of the LiveBoard allowed real-time decision model development by the class, followed by instantaneous calculation of expected utilities and sensitivity analyses. The multimedia aspect and interactivity were conducive to extensive class participation.Ten out of eleven students wanted decision-analytic software available for use during their clinical years and all students would recommend the course to next year's students. We plan to experiment with the electronic collaboration features of this technology and allow groups separated by time or space to collaborate on decisions and explore the models created

The Study Space Project : collaborative hypermedia in nomadic computing environments

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