COMPARE radiology: creating an interactive Web-based training program for radiology with multimedia authoring software

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: Computer-based training has two primary benefits: Content can be presented interactively, and students can choose the time, place, and pace of learning. As a subject of medical education, radiology lends itself particularly well to computer-based training because of its highly visual content. To improve the efficiency of radiology training at their institution, the authors decided to create an interactive Web-based training site. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Working with a group of medical students knowledgeable in multimedia authoring, the authors used authoring software to create "COMPARE Radiology," an interactive training program that follows the modality-based structure of the undergraduate curriculum for radiology at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany, and at medical schools worldwide. RESULTS: The Web-based program offers cases and exercises in radiographic anatomy at different selectable levels of difficulty, allowing users to test and build their knowledge of radiology. Pathologic images are initially presented without any further information. Additional information (patient history, laboratory results, reports from other imaging studies, and normal images for comparison) can be retrieved selectively and successively. Further information regarding the diagnosis and pathologic findings can be found by following links to external Web sites. The COMPARE Radiology program content is extended and updated regularly. The program is subject to internal peer review and can be evaluated by the user online. CONCLUSION: The authors' experience shows that a highly interactive Web-based training program for radiology, tailored to the requirements of the target group, can be developed economically by a team of medical students using an advanced storing system, with the guidance of a radiologist and without the help of professionally trained computer experts.