All medical personnel [medical, paramedic and nursing students, resident and attending physicians] are inundated with medical literature and static images in an attempt to learn disease entities and medical procedures. It is years later when medical personnel care for patients with the disease states that they have read about do they then more clearly comprehend the disease mechanisms. Video with audio of actual pediatric emergency patients has been used in our pediatric emergency didactic lectures to enhance the learning of complicated disease states such as airway emergencies, partial upper airway obstruction [croup], lower airway obstruction [asthma] and potential or impending respiratory failure. Medical procedures are easily taught through video presentation. Examples are the reduction of a dislocated hip, dislocated elbow or a subluxed radial head. Removal of foreign bodies, laceration repair, incision and drainage of abscesses [i.e. peritonsillar abscess] and the culturing of herpes vesicles can all be shown utilizing video clips. These same video and audio clips can be used as bedside teaching tools through web-based teaching modules or a CD driven computer monitor located in a pediatric emergency department.

After select patients present to our pediatric emergency department and signed consent obtained video with audio clips are obtained. The digitized clips are converted into MPEG files utilizing digital video editing software [such as with Dazzle or Cyberlink’s PowerDirector]. The MPEG files are then edited [voice, music or sound can be added] and linked to a page within PowerPoint. The PowerPoint presentation and the linked video Mpeg’s are placed into a folder. This folder is placed into CD writing software [i.e. Adaptec] and the information is written onto a blank CD. When the PowerPoint presentation is activated each video MPEG will be brought from the CD into the selected page of the presentation. The video can run automatically or on the click of the mouse.

Utilizing web-authoring tools, we have integrated video Mpeg’s into web pages and have developed web-based presentation teaching modules. The videos are embedded into web pages and viewed using Realplayer. Using web elements such as Flash and linking instruments, medical personnel may interact with the modules by choosing answers to select questions. The presentation teaching modules may be used as bedside teaching tools or viewed at one’s leisure during solo teaching sessions.

BENEFIT TO PARTICIPANTS ATTENDING SESSION: Participants will appreciate from this session:

1. The impact that multimedia has in the classroom and on the web.

2. The educational value of integrating video Mpeg’s into web-based presentation teaching modules.

3. The ease at which to import multimedia into presentations.

4. How to utilize video-editing software to produce MPEG files for use in multimedia presentations or for web-based presentation teaching modules.