A HYPERMEDIA TUTORIAL FOR CROSS-SECTIONAL ANATOMY - HYPERMED

Modern imaging techniques like computer tomography (CT) and nuclear ma gnetic resonance (MR) imaging have become essential in clinical diagno stics and also in teaching gross anatomy to medical students. As a con sequence, special classes in (cross)-sectional anatomy are being added to the curriculum in many anatomical institutions. Since institutiona l budgets often do not allow extensive supervision beyond the very lim ited time frame of traditional courses in gross anatomy, a computer-ba sed hypermedia tutorial (HyperMed) was created and integrated into the teaching program of the Institute of Anatomy at Essen University. Hyp erMed offers two components, one for authors (e.g. teachers who can cu stomize the contents of the program) and a second for users (e.g. stud ents). In the present version, digital cross-sectional human images ha ve been edited. The relevant anatomical structures in these images hav e been marked, named, and linked to additional information and figures (in particular schematic figures and CT images). Users can obtain inf ormation at different levels: (1) index-based retrieval, (2) navigatio nal retrieval (on inspecting cross-sectional images the user is asked to identify structures) and (3) a history list enabling users to go ba ck to any previous point of navigation. HyperMed was first tested in t he winter terms 1995/1996 and 1996/1997 during classes on cross-sectio nal anatomy which are a supplement to the traditional dissection cours e of the Institute of Anatomy, University Essen. It was well received by the students who found it a helpful adjunct to learning cross-secti onal anatomy.