Traditional educational methods such as books, PowerPoint presentations, and even Web and mobile apps have limitations; they are not full DICOM studies, which are the actual medium of clinical practice, said presenter Dr. Bao Do of Stanford University. Furthermore, reviewing cases on a standard PACS is not a structured learning opportunity.
As a result, the Stanford team is proposing a new approach that uses a cloud PACS to generate multimedia reports. These reports can contain hyperlinks directly to key images. Cases can be organized into learning modules, and curriculums can be created, Do said.
"This enables trainees to see 'real' DICOM cases but still follow a curriculum," he told AuntMinnie.com.
To highlight the advantage of this approach, the team created a self-guided learning module on labral tears of the shoulder to teach 3D pathology and anatomy. This is, "a fundamental topic in musculoskeletal radiology that is generally difficult to learn in textbooks alone," Do said.
