Integrating digital teaching-file systems with off-the-shelf presentation software to facilitate speaker-led conferences

Objective: Develop methods for automated transfer of images and associated text from a teaching-file repository into presentation material for speaker -led conferences. Materials/Methods: Our institution uses a Microsoft Windo ws (Microsoft Corp, Redmond, WA) software application to maintain a digital teaching-file database that can store and retrieve content in a case-centr ic fashion. Virtually any number of images can be stored with any given cas e. Cases and their associated images can be retrieved via a module that sup ports searches by American College of Radiology (ACR) code and by free-text Boolean queries on the history, findings, diagnosis, and discussion compon ents of a case. In addition to the software system serving directly as an i nteractive teaching tool, the digital teaching file itself serves as an ima ge repository and resource for attending radiologists who create their own presentations and lectures. To better support this use, software modules we re developed for interprocess communication and automated creation of Power point slides. These modules are fully integrated with the teaching-file sof tware application. A single image or a set of selected images can be automa tically made into individual slides with two mouse clicks. Images are autom atically centered and optimally sized. A slide title is automatically rende red from the user's preference of the case history or diagnosis (stored wit h the case), or via the entry of free-form text. We describe the programmin g techniques that are used, as well as how several features of the operatin g system and Powerpoint itself can be integrated with a customized software application to facilitate this objective. Results: The creation of present ation-ready Powerpoint slides is fully automated from within our teaching-f ile application, and the time required to create a presentation compared to the conventional method of manually seeking and inserting files from withi n Powerpoint itself, on a per-slide basis, is drastically reduced. The bene fits are magnified by having all imagery stored within an organized end sea rchable database system so that desired images can be easily located. Concl usion: A digital teaching-file system can serve as a useful image repositor y for purposes ancillary to direct computerized instruction. Software that supports these uses, such as the automated creation of presentation materia l for speaker-led conferences, facilitates the radiologist's role as an edu cator. Copyright (C) 2001 by W.B. Saunders Company.