CONTINUING MEDICAL-EDUCATION ON THE WORLD-WIDE-WEB (WWW) - INTERACTIVE PATHOLOGY CASE-STUDIES ON THE INTERNET

Objective.-To present interactive online continuing medical education (CME) over the World Wide Web as a more efficient alternative to tradi tional modes of CME delivery. Design.-A departmental Web site availabl e to those with access to the Internet. Setting.-A tertiary-care teach ing hospital in the United States. Results.-Comprehensive case studies have been developed and are complete with images, text, and questions , including explanations for correct and incorrect responses. The imag es are linked to pertinent text to maximize their educational value. T he cases are easily accessible, user friendly, and fully referenced. T he system became operational in January 1996, and the first CME certif icate was awarded to a participant shortly thereafter. Conclusions.-Co ntinuing medical education over the World Wide Web is an efficient mea ns of delivering CME to the community at large; it allows participatin g physicians the latitude to obtain convenient CME credit at their lei sure, in contrast to the regimented experience of formal CME conferenc es or symposiums. The interactive format of the CME cases allows the p articipant to submit immediate comments or criticism to case authors a nd receive instant feedback on their own performance, features unavail able in comparable educational software packages. The dynamic environm ent of the World Wide Web lends itself to the production and dissemina tion of such flexible forms of CME for the physician and will continue to expand in this capacity into the foreseeable future.