Introduction: This article presents the results of a demonstration project that was designed with the goal to determine the feasibility and acceptability of medical students in using distance technology and virtual reality (VR) simulation within a problem-based learning (PBL). Methods: This pilot project involved students from the Universities of New Mexico and Hawaii and compared (1) control groups consisting of medical students in a tutor-guided PBL session using a text-based case, (2) distance groups using the same text-based case but interacting over distance from multiple sites, (3) groups using a VR simulation scenario integrated into the case without interaction over distance, and (4) combination groups interacting over distance from multiple sites with integration of a VR simulation scenario. Results: The study results suggest that it is possible to successfully conduct a PBL tutorial with medical students from two institutions with the integration VR and distributed distance interaction in combination or independently. The addition of these modalities did not interfere with learning dynamics when compared with traditional tutorial sessions. Conclusions: These findings suggest the feasibility and acceptability by students in the use of VR simulation integrated into a PBL learning session, as well as multipoint distance technologies that allowed interaction between students and tutors in different locations. The authors believe that these modalities can be applied where students and tutors from different institutions are in separate locations and can be used to support interactive experiential learning in a distributed network or on site and suggest areas for additional research.

Training professionals for real-world application of required knowledge and skills and assessing their competence are major challenges. Simulations are being used in education and training to enhance understanding, improve performance, and assess competence. Validated virtual reality (VR) simulations provide a means of making experiential learning reproducible and reusable. Advanced communication networks, such as Internet2 Access Grid, allow dissemination of these simulations and collaborative learning independent of distance. The prior experiences of our three universities led to an interdisciplinary collaboration to further develop and evaluate an integrated, fully immersive, interactive VR based system. This environment employs simulations that are visually three-dimensional and are driven dynamically by a rules-based artificial intelligence engine within Flatland, a virtual environments development software tool, and associated commodity hardware. Studies include usability and validation, deployment for distributed testing over Internet2, and evaluation of impact on training and performance using concept mapping and knowledge structure methods. Subject matter experts found face and content validity in our closed head injury simulation. Seven pairs of medical students participated collaboratively in problem solving and managing of the simulated patient in VR. Students stated that opportunities to make mistakes and repeat actions in VR were extremely helpful in learning specific principles and they felt more engaged than in standard text-based scenarios. 48 students participated in knowledge structure experiments pre and post simulation experiences. Knowledge structure relatedness ratings were significantly improved in those students with lower pre-VR relatedness ratings indicating a potential value of VR simulation in learning. This research cuts across the integration of computing, networking, human-computer interfaces, learning, and knowledge acquisition. VR creates a safe environment to make mistakes and could allow rapid deployment for just-in-time training or performance assessment.

BACKGROUND:Public health practitioners and researchers for many years have been attempting to understand more clearly the links between social conditions and the health of populations. Until recently, most public health professionals in English-speaking countries were unaware that their colleagues in Latin America had developed an entire field of inquiry and practice devoted to making these links more clearly understood. The Latin American Social Medicine (LASM) database finally bridges this previous gap.DESCRIPTION:This public health informatics case study describes the key features of a unique information resource intended to improve access to LASM literature and to augment understanding about the social determinants of health. This case study includes both quantitative and qualitative evaluation data. Currently the LASM database at The University of New Mexico http://hsc.unm.edu/lasm brings important information, originally known mostly within professional networks located in Latin American countries to public health professionals worldwide via the Internet. The LASM database uses Spanish, Portuguese, and English language trilingual, structured abstracts to summarize classic and contemporary works.CONCLUSION:This database provides helpful information for public health professionals on the social determinants of health and expands access to LASM.

Distance education delivery has increased dramatically in recent years as a result of the rapid advancement of communication technology. The National Computational Science Alliance's Access Grid represents a significant advancement in communication technology with potential for distance medical education. The purpose of this study is to provide an overview of the TOUCH project (Telehealth Outreach for Unified Community Health; http://hsc.unm.edu/touch) with special emphasis on the process of problem-based learning case development for distribution over the Access Grid. The objective of the TOUCH project is to use emerging Internet-based technology to overcome geographic barriers for delivery of tutorial sessions to medical students pursuing rotations at remote sites. The TOUCH project also is aimed at developing a patient simulation engine and an immersive virtual reality environment to achieve a realistic health care scenario enhancing the learning experience. A traumatic head injury case is developed and distributed over the Access Grid as a demonstration of the TOUCH system. Project TOUCH serves as an example of a computer-based learning system for developing and implementing problem-based learning cases within the medical curriculum, but this system should be easily applied to other educational environments and disciplines involving functional and clinical anatomy. Future phases will explore PC versions of the TOUCH cases for increased distribution.