25.0: Thursday, March 17, 2005
7750

Web-based Tools Can Provide Improved Consistency in Burn Care Education within One’s Institution and for Referring Hospitals

John K. Wakelin, MD and Brentley A. Buchele, MD.

Purpose: The World Wide Web platform is an ideal but underutilized tool for the organization and distribution of information related to the care of burned patients.

Methods and Materials: Web-based institutional intranet materials have been utilized and are under further development at our institution. Protocols and clinical pathways including informational materials regarding care of the burned patient are posted. Further educational modules regarding diagnosis and treatment of the burned patient are included. Housestaff on clinical services that care for burned patients (E.R., SICU, General and Plastic Surgery) review these materials and take short exams on them. Real time and multilocation access to these resources improves their availability. The single source nature of this data improves consistency and compliance with our institution's policies. Furthermore, it is also hoped that the content of our educational resources can be amplified for extranet use by referring hospitals on the World Wide Web.

Conclusions: Interdisciplinary education regarding care of the burned patient can benefit from integration into a single web-based educational resource, providing improved consistency and utility. Our platform accomplishes this. While this is a work in progress, our institution demonstrates how these technologies can encourage innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration for institutional and public benefit.