[New avenues of communication for continuous medical education: first experiences of live broadcasting of ophthalmologY congresses via Internet].
BACKGROUND
The usage of the Internet in live-broadcasting ophthalmological lectures might be helpful in the education of eye doctors. The purpose is to report first experiences of a live-broadcasted congress.


METHODS
The congress "Autonomic Innervation and Microcirculation of the Eye--Implications in Glaucoma Pathophysiology", held in the Department of Ophthalmology of the University Erlangen-Nürnberg at the 27th January 1999 was live-broadcasted via Internet by the electronic journal "Online Journal of Ophthalmology" (www.onjoph.com). The congress was organized by the "Sonderforschungsbereich 539, Glaukome, einschliesslich PEX" of the University Erlangen-Nürnberg. The original sound of the lectures was digitized by 8000 Hz and coded with 14 bit. Using the free software "Real-Audio-Player" the user could hear the speech of the lecturer in radio quality. Two live-pictures from two digital video cameras and the digitized slides were available at the screen within two frames. Two weeks before all 6576 ophthalmologists in Germany were informed about the event by conventional mail.


RESULTS
The live-broadcasted congress was followed by 899 online-participants (899/6576 = 13.6%). 238 of 899 participants were able to hear the original sound. 154 of 6576 (2.3%) ophthalmologists answered by FAX. 18% of the answering eye doctors have followed the congress by Internet. Mainly all (98%) of them were very interested in live-broadcasted lectures or congresses and wanted to be informed about the next lecture or congress broadcasted by means of Internet. The lectures-on demand of this congress with sound and pictures are now available under the address http:/(/)www.onjoph. com/global/livewrk1/Default.htm.


CONCLUSIONS
The major part of eye doctors in Germany seems very interested in live-broadcasted lectures for online-education. In the first national-wide trial 899 of 6576 informed eye doctors followed the congress.
Michelson
G
G
Augenklinik mit Poliklinik, Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg.
Scibor
M
M
D003146:Communications Media / Q000639:trends*; D003226:Congresses as Topic / Q000639:trends; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends*; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D009885:Ophthalmology / Q000193:education* / Q000639:trends*; D011639:Public Opinion