Evaluation of a training DVD on pneumococcal conjugate vaccine for Kenyan EPI healthcare workers.

BACKGROUND: The Kenyan Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation was the first in Africa to introduce the new 10-valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine, PCV-10, in 2011. For successful implementation and to avoid adverse events following immunisation, specific training on handling and storage of the PCV-10 vaccine was required. Therefore, a training DVD was recorded in English and partly in Kiswahili to be used in combination with in-classroom training. Since the Kenyan Immunisation Programme was the first to use a DVD for training healthcare workers, an evaluation was done to obtain feedback on content, format and use, and propose suggestions to improve quality and uptake of the DVD. METHODS: Feedback was obtained from nurses and vaccinology course participants through the completion of a questionnaire. Nurses also participated in focus group discussions and trainers in key informant interviews. RESULTS: Twelve trainers, 72 nurses and 26 international vaccinology course participants provided feedback, with some notable differences between the three study groups. The survey results confirmed the acceptability of the content and format, and the feasibility of using the DVD in combination with in-classroom teaching. To improve the quality and adoption of the DVD, key suggestions were: Inclusion of all EPI vaccines and other important health issues; broad geographic distribution of the DVD; and bilingual English/Kiswahili use of languages or subtitles. DISCUSSION: The Kenyan DVD is appreciated by a heterogeneous and international audience rendering the DVD suitable for other Anglophone African countries. Differences between feedback from nurses and vaccinology course participants can be explained by the practical approach of the DVD and the higher education and service level of the latter. A drawback is the use of DVD players and televisions due to lack of electricity, but it is a matter of time before all rural health facilities in Africa will have access to electricity and modern technology.

Descriptive analysis of YouTube music therapy videos.

The purpose of this study was to conduct a descriptive analysis of music therapy-related videos on YouTube. Preliminary searches using the keywords music therapy, music therapy session, and "music therapy session" resulted in listings of 5000, 767, and 59 videos respectively. The narrowed down listing of 59 videos was divided between two investigators and reviewed in order to determine their relationship to actual music therapy practice. A total of 32 videos were determined to be depictions of music therapy sessions. These videos were analyzed using a 16-item investigator-created rubric that examined both video specific information and therapy specific information. Results of the analysis indicated that audio and visual quality was adequate, while narrative descriptions and identification information were ineffective in the majority of the videos. The top 5 videos (based on the highest number of viewings in the sample) were selected for further analysis in order to investigate demonstration of the Professional Level of Practice Competencies set forth in the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) Professional Competencies (AMTA, 2008). Four of the five videos met basic competency criteria, with the quality of the fifth video precluding evaluation of content. Of particular interest is the fact that none of the videos included credentialing information. Results of this study suggest the need to consider ways to ensure accurate dissemination of music therapy-related information in the YouTube environment, ethical standards when posting music therapy session videos, and the possibility of creating AMTA standards for posting music therapy related video.

The electric pencil: CD-ROM and DVD.

This article is an introduction to and comparison of CD-ROM and DVD optical disc technologies, applications and standards with an overview of CD-ROM recording and production. Also discussed is the impact of optical disc technology on biomedical media and the relationship to the World Wide Web.

Evaluation of a labor and delivery videodisc simulation.

The purpose of this project was to determine the impact of an interactive videodisc (IVD) simulation in labor and delivery on the learning and clinical confidence of junior-level nursing students. Two clinical groups of students were created from the total 39 and both groups were pretested on knowledge and clinical confidence. Group 1 (n = 18) completed the IVD program before the first clinical experience in the labor and delivery setting. Group 2 (n = 21) received a traditional clinical experience first and then completed the IVD program. Students completing the IVD program plus the clinical experience had significantly greater clinical confidence and learning than those students completing only the clinical experience. Evaluation comments provided suggestions for improvements and were filled with positive comments about the program.

Preparing for communication interactions: the value of anticipatory strategies for adults with hearing impairment.

Some people with hearing impairment may use anticipatory strategies to prepare for an upcoming communication interaction, such as a doctor's appointment. They may consider vocabulary and statements that might occur, and they may practice speechreading a partner saying the items. Experiment 1 evaluated the effectiveness of two types of anticipatory strategies: workbook activities and situation-specific lipreading practice. Two groups of normal-hearing subjects were asked to prepare for a communication interaction in a bank setting where they would be required to recognize speech using only the visual signal. Each group was assigned to one type of anticipatory strategy. A third group served as a control group. Experiment 2 evaluated whether multifaceted anticipatory practice improved cochlear implant users' ability to recognize statements and words audiovisually that might occur in a doctor's office, bank, movie theater, and gas station. One group of implanted subjects received 4 days of training, 1 day for each setting, and a second group served as a control group. In both experiments, subjects who used anticipatory strategies did not improve their performance on situation-specific sentence tests more than the control subjects.

Speechreading performance under different conditions of video image, repetition, and speech rate.

Speechreading was assessed under different conditions of video image, repetition, and speech rate in three experiments on children who are deaf. The objective of the experiments was to obtain information for the design of interactive speechreading training programs using an interactive laser videodisc. Results of Experiment 1 showed that three different video images of testers (Entire-Face, 2/3 Profile, and Lips-Only), did not result in significantly different scores. Experiment 2 assessed which form of repetition (Entire-Face, 2/3 Profile, Lips-Only,) after the first Entire-Face presentation had the biggest effect on improving speechreading performance. The three different forms of repetition appeared to lead to a similar significant improvement. In Experiment 3, various speechreading stimuli were presented at four different speech rates. It appeared that these four speech rates did not significantly influence the speechreading scores. Results suggest that there is a wide range within which speaker-sender variables may vary without affecting the overall speechreading results.

AI/Learn/Rheumatology. A computer-assisted educational system for teaching about rheumatic diseases.

Education of health professionals about the rheumatic diseases is in need of improvement. The computer is an instrument that can be used efficiently to educate large numbers of users. With specific educational principles in mind, we developed AI/Learn/Rheumatology, a computer-assisted interactive videodisc system for teaching the rheumatic diseases. While interacting with the user, it conveys knowledge using visual and problem-solving techniques. The system is efficient, enjoyable to use, and useful for small groups and independent study. It is applicable for teaching medical and allied health professional students, postgraduate trainees, and primary care physicians.

Testing airway management skills: interactive video courseware vs ACLS instructor.

UNLABELLED: Lectures and demonstrations have been the teaching and testing strategies most often employed by the American Heart Association in Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) training. I compared the abilities of interactive videodisc (IVD) courseware and ACLS instructors to evaluate airway management skills. METHODS & MATERIALS: Twenty-two subjects were simultaneously tested during 30 attempts at endotracheal (ET) intubation and 34 attempts at esophageal obturator airway or esophageal gastric tube airway (EOA/EGTA) insertion. The instructors were blind to the visual and auditory messages produced. RESULTS: The IVD program and the ACLS instructors showed high agreement in their evaluation of student performance for time of intubation (95.5% ET; 100% EOA/EGTA), proper tube placement (91% ET; 93% EOA/EGTA), appropriate tube assessment (95.5% ET; 100% EOA/EGTA), and correct EOA/EGTA cuff inflation (100%). Lower levels of agreement were noted with ET and EOA/EGTA appropriate head positioning, and the evaluation of tooth pressure with ET intubation (60.5%, 76.5%, and 66.0%, respectively). The IVD system was unable to detect certain procedural errors associated with appropriate intubation procedure--syringe attachment, syringe removal after cuff inflation, and control of tube after intubation. The low agreement for tooth pressure suggests that the sensor-equipped manikin may better evaluate tooth pressure than does the observer. CONCLUSIONS: Although the IVD system shows promise as an adjunct method for instruction and testing, it cannot be considered suitable for 'stand-alone' instruction. Further research is needed to explore costs, skills retention, and possible impact of the medium for training hospital and prehospital-care personnel.

Evaluating CD-ROM versions of the MEDLINE database: a checklist.

The emergence of CD-ROM (compact disc/read-only memory) versions of the MEDLINE database requires experienced MEDLINE searchers to examine assumptions about searching MEDLINE, since some expectations may not be fulfilled by this new technology. When applied to a particular CD-ROM MEDLINE product, the evaluation procedure involves testing assumptions concerning database contents; mechanics of searching; display, print, and download capabilities; and user-friendly features. The extent to which a CD-ROM product preserves and exploits important MEDLINE strengths should be assessed, e.g., the MeSH controlled vocabulary, the designation of major and minor MeSH emphasis, and the use of subheadings. Search software characteristics that affect ease of searching and quality of results also need to be examined, e.g., the ability to truncate search terms and the order of precedence in which Boolean operators are evaluated. A checklist to assist in the evaluation process is presented, including search examples for use in testing search functions.

Problems of medical record storage with an optical disk filing system--with special reference to image quality.

An optical disk filing system is a promising new method to memorize the contents of medical records. However, there are some problems of image quality and durability with the disk. The present study investigated the problems with image quality as to the content of medical records. Two optical disk filing systems on the market were used. Medical records of discharge summary, present illness, progress notes, ECGs and polaroid pictures, were put through the image scanner and compared with output images. Image data such as discharge summary and present illness were clearly reproduced with a resolution of 200 dots per inch (dpi). However, polaroid pictures of UCGs or sketches by doctors needed a resolution of 400 dpi with 32-64 gradations. ECGs needed a resolution of 400 dpi with 2 gradations. Records in more than 2 ink colours such as renograms, nurses' notes and doctors' sketches were reproduced in monochrome images, so the colour signals could not be distinguished. In conclusion, the optical disk filing system is useful to store medical records, but it must be improved so as to distinguish colour information.