title: Telemedical education: teaching spirometry on the Internet.
abstract: Advances in portable equipment have led to routine spirometry testing outside of formal pulmonary function laboratories. Practitioners ordering these tests are not formally trained in spirometry interpretation. Providing effective off-site training can be challenging. Our objective was to develop a remotely accessible computer-based tutorial for teaching spirometry interpretation to nonpulmonologists. We designed an educational module that was accessible via the Internet and tested by 65 medical trainees at a major university medical center. In addition, the module was posted within the Virtual Hospital on the World Wide Web. Increases in spirometry interpretative skills were assessed using pre- and post-tests submitted electronically. The spirometry module significantly improved spirometry interpretation by nonspecialist trainees. This improvement included a broad increase in knowledge base and was observed independent of training level and prior spirometry reading experience. We conclude that computer-based tutorials can effectively train off-site practitioners in spirometry interpretation. This technology allows for the dissemination of educational material from a central site of expertise and provides a valuable adjunct to limited teaching resources.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Occupational Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA.
authors.forename: E H
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Lum
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Gross
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D012984:Software; D013147:Spirometry; D017216:Telemedicine