Biomedical subjects

Kevin C Ehlers

Publications and source records attributed to Kevin C Ehlers.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2007

A presentation system for just-in-time learning in radiology.

There is growing interest in bringing medical educational materials to the point of care. We sought to develop a system for just-in-time learning in radiology. A database of 34 learning modules was derived from previously published journal articles. Learning objectives were specified for each module, and multiple-choice test items were created. A web-based system-called TEMPO-was developed to allow radiologists to select and view the learning modules. Web services were used to exchange clinical context information between TEMPO and the simulated radiology work station. Preliminary evaluation was conducted using the System Usability Scale (SUS) questionnaire. TEMPO identified learning modules that were relevant to the age, sex, imaging modality, and body part or organ system of the patient being viewed by the radiologist on the simulated clinical work station. Users expressed a high degree of satisfaction with the system's design and user interface. TEMPO enables just-in-time learning in radiology, and can be extended to create a fully functional learning management system for point-of-care learning in radiology.

Computer Simulation↗

PubMed2006

Radiologists' preferences for just-in-time learning.

BACKGROUND: Effective learning can occur at the point of care, when opportunities arise to acquire information and apply it to a clinical problem. To assess interest in point-of-care learning, we conducted a survey to explore radiologists' attitudes and preferences regarding the use of just-in-time learning (JITL) in radiology. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Following Institutional Review Board approval, we invited 104 current radiology residents and 86 radiologists in practice to participate in a 12-item Internet-based survey to assess their attitudes toward just-in-time learning. Voluntary participation in the survey was solicited by e-mail; respondents completed the survey on a web-based form. RESULTS: Seventy-nine physicians completed the questionnaire, including 47 radiology residents and 32 radiologists in practice; the overall response rate was 42%. Respondents generally expressed a strong interest for JITL: 96% indicated a willingness to try such a system, and 38% indicated that they definitely would use a JITL system. They expressed a preference for learning interventions of 5-10 min in length. CONCLUSIONS: Current and recent radiology trainees have expressed a strong interest in just-in-time learning. The information from this survey should be useful in pursuing the design of learning interventions and systems for delivering just-in-time learning to radiologists.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

PubMedDate not supplied

PACSPulse: a web-based DICOM network traffic monitor and analysis tool.

PACSPulse, an open-source tool, was developed to identify and analyze the performance bottlenecks of picture archiving and communication systems (PACS). PACSPulse provides a graphical Web interface for straightforward analysis of PACS performance on the basis of data acquired by tracking usage by network, server, workstation, type of traffic, and time of day. The PACS archive logs performance and usage data on image traffic being sent to it from the imaging units and study data requested by users. The performance log is sent via file transfer protocol (FTP) to a separate server for analysis. The data are parsed and sent to a database server connected to a Web server. The Web site is used to depict trends in the performance of the entire system to detect signs of degradation. The system was built entirely of open-source components for the operating system, database, charting tool, and Web server. Performance monitoring is an essential tool for analyzing, understanding, and predicting the performance characteristics of a PACS.

Humans↗