Acute Respiratory InfectionCD Module

The Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI) CD Module is the latest educational offering by The Wellcome Trust, a British-based charity. The module is part of the Topics in International Health CD-ROM series. The entire program is designed to provide accessible, current, high-quality information on tropical and international health. The material is directed towards students, teachers, health-care professionals, academics, and researchers in medicine and the life sciences. Each tutorial has been reviewed by at least two international subject experts. The ARI module includes 11 separate tutorials ranging from etiology and risk factors to epidemiology and program management. An additional image collection of over 600 screens with accompanying text provides a useful bank of visual aids. While the module covers all major ARIs, the focus is on conditions causing substantial illness and deaths in the developing world. Each tutorial averages 40 screens, with each individual screen featuring a variety of additional interactive tools, such as pop-up boxes and animated features. On average, tutorial post-tests follow every 6-10 screens. Although the content and information differ, each tuto-rial averages 2-4 hours to complete. Completing all 11 tutorials could take up to 50 hours. Overall, the module succeeds in consolidating broad-reaching material and providing an authoritative presentation on ARI. Module strengths include the successful presentation of clinically current and well-researched information. (One possible exception is the management of ear problems. The module recommends irrigation of acute otitis media. This practice is highly questionable, and the accompanying illustrations minimize the major risks associated with this procedure in cases where the tympanic membrane has ruptured. The World Health Organization recommends " wicking. ") Each tutorial provides ample references , and the repetition of important themes helps reinforce important clinical and public health concepts. The graphic features and video inserts are equally useful. For example, the integration of animated graphics in the pathology tutorial to demonstrate the major steps of viral multiplication offers an innovative visual tool for mastering complex information. On the other hand, the module suffers in its attempt to cover a large quantity of material in a similar manner. Not all the tutorials are of comparable complexity. While 40 screens may be adequate to discuss ARI prevention and control measures, other sections, such as pathology and respiratory defenses, would have benefited from more discussion. By trying to maintain uniform format of comparable length, parts of these tutorials are superficially summarized at the expense of a clear …