Demonstration with Equipment

Creation of a Web-based Tutorial on Auscultation: The McGill Virtual Stethoscope Project

Jonathan I. Gates, MD
McGill University Faculty of Medicine

Abstract:

The McGill/Molson Medical Informatics Project (MMIP) was founded to expand student involvement and knowledge in medical computer applications, specifically with respect to education. The Virtual Stethoscope was conceived as a joint project between the Faculties of Music and Medicine (see http://sprojects.mmip.mcgill.ca/mvs/mvsteth.htm for detailed credits), with the goals of offering introductory material on cardiac and respiratory auscultation for medical students, and healthcare professionals.

The Virtual Stethoscope utilizes internet-based technology to create a learning environment which can be perused in a sequential or non-sequential fashion and integrates sound wave spectra as a means of visualizing timing and frequency components at the same time. Initially composed with digitized sounds provided primarily from Littman/3M s AUDIO tapes, it is being continued with cooperation among students from both faculties and is currently expanding its library of heart sounds and murmurs recorded directly off patients from McGill teaching hospitals. Recording and post production methods were entirely digital, using studio quality instruments and digital analogue tapes (DAT). It stands as an example of what can be achieved by students who began with minimal web/internet knowledge given a commitment to the process of creating such educational tools.

The MMIP projects were possible because of support both financially in the form of dedicated software and hardware and administratively in the form of weekly how-to educational meetings, usually given by students, and faculty support in the form of expert clinical advisors to projects.

Benefit in Attending Session:

This presentation will illustrate the principles followed for navigation design of the Virtual Stethoscope, a brief review of the methods for collecting physiological sounds, and construction of a quiz question bank in the context of a many-student/advisor group. As time allows, future developments WILL be discussed including planned incorporating echocardiogram and other clinical information resources in both streaming-web and CD-ROM (Macromedia Director) formats.

Jonathan I. Gates, MD
15 Thistledown Lane
Kingston, RI 02881
 
(401)789-0518
(514)284-0134
jonathangates@hotmail.com
http://www.escalix.com/freepage/jpages/Index.htm
 
Name Co-Author(s):
Chi-Ming Chow, MD
Oles Protsidym
CMChow@compuserve.com
oles@music.mcgill.ca