e-Learning Resources

for Medical Colleges in

INDIA
DR.T.V.RAO MD
 Learning is…

 Learning is the sharing

or transfer of
information between
two parties. Over the
course of time, many
modalities and theories
about learning have
been elucidated with
varying degrees of
effectiveness
Today’s Students are intelligent, can
adopt to Newer Technologies faster
Learning to e-learning
 E-learning is also
called Web-based
learning, online
learning, distributed
learning, computer-
assisted instruction,
or Internet-based
learning
 Computers and Medical Education

 Computers are increasingly

used in medical education.
Electronic learning (e-
learning) is moving from
textbooks in electronic format
(that are increasingly
enhanced by the use of
multimedia adjuncts) to a
truly interactive medium that
can be delivered to meet the
educational needs of students
and postgraduate learners
Computers and Medical
Education
 Computers are increasingly
used in medical education.
Electronic learning (e-
learning) is moving from
textbooks in electronic format
(that are increasingly
enhanced by the use of
multimedia adjuncts) to a
truly interactive medium that
can be delivered to meet the
educational needs of students
and postgraduate learners
 Advantages of Computers in
Education
 Computer technology
can present reliable,
reusable content in a
format that is
convenient to the
learner. It can be used
to transcend
geographical
boundaries and time
zones
Computer enters the Class Room
 With  increasing
prevalence of
computers in and out of
the classroom and the
development of more
sophisticated web-
based tools, knowledge
transfer is increasing
going high-tech
 Foundation of Medical
Education
 Medical education had
as its foundation a
combination of
didactic instruction in
the classroom and
integrated, hands-on
"Socratic Method"
learning in the clinical
setting.
 Medical Education Bogged
with Problems
 Medical education, in India apart from several
Developing Nations especially in the advances
stages of training, has many unique problems
such as the temporal and geographic
distribution of students, residents, and the
physician instructors. Further complications
result from unpredictable schedules that are
present in most areas of medicine leading to
poorly attended or cancelled lectures.
 Didactic lectures
 The problems with
traditional didactic lectures
is that they often present
information that targets one
of the many learning style of
the students involved. In
addition, the time and
resources required to deliver
the material is high and
often does not completely
meet the needs of those
who are participating
Knowledge Transfer a Growing
Challenge
 Effective
knowledge transfer
is of paramount
importance for the
maintenance and
advancement of
our health care
system
E-learning is Multidimensional

 E-learning adds many

dimensions to the
educational process
and if utilized well, has
the potential to
enhance both the
students and
instructors educational
experience.
 India needs a Great Change
Young Doctors are our great resource

 We live in a time and age where information

technology is a part of every field in
everyone's life In India bright young minds
have to be inspired to incorporate technology
with academics. The future of modern
education begins here, with the minds of the
future doctors. You are the ones who will
aspire to be ahead of your time. 
 Computer Technology
 Computer technology, more specifically web-based
tools open the door for collaboration amongst students
and teachers, the development of updated, web-based
learning platforms that are easy to use from a student
and a teacher prospective. Medical education is
beginning to embrace a new modality of knowledge
transfer e-learning. Web-based, multimedia learning
platforms bring about numerous possibilities not easily
met with traditional didactic instruction
e-learning becomes Commercial

 Many companies
producing medical
technology offer
product details online -
sometimes combined
with E-learning courses.
Whereas the main focus
lies on guides to using
their devices, some
medical further training
classes can be found.
e-learning helps in Interactive
Skills
 Centres on the production
of interactive scenarios
that allow trainees to
develop and practice the
key skills outlined in the
curriculum by dealing with
life-like cases. Trainees will
make differential
diagnoses and develop
management plans to
tackle these cases
Newer learning becomes easier with
e-learning
 The outcomes of the
cases depend on the
actions of trainees.
These scenarios will also
provide the opportunity
for trainees to revise key
concepts and gain
essential new knowledge
through linked
interactive sessions.
 Internet can be Teacher ?

 The most demanding role for Internet lies on

the availability of products/ services where
the consumer led revolution has already
made a considerable progress i.e. in the field
of education. There are two scope of
education learning – teaching and learning in
other words training and educating. In a
ordered education both has a role in a
suitable proportion
New technologies helps in easier
Learning
 All the Medical
Students having
received basic
information proceeds
to flourish into self-
learning and eventually
understand with the
ongoing process of
exploration and
discovery.
e-learning overcomes the newer
challenges in education
 Demand for technical and
professional education is
rising with advent of the
society to be prepared for
the next century
challenges of the universe.
Evolution through
adaptation or adoption of
technology is the only
successful answer for this
preparation
Pedagogy and Technology can be
a right combination
 Pedagogy and
technology always
maintains a closed
cycle between
them. Sometimes
pedagogy invents
technology and
sometimes uses it.
 Advantages of e-learning
  1 Availability of more reliable and cheaper means.
 2  Ensure the understanding or learning process.
 3  Exploiting the available resources fully.
 4. Incorporate with traditional way of teaching.
 5  Make a conducive environment.
 6. Pre-services, in-services and post services
training and development strengthened to cover
effective use of materials.
 Advantages of e-learning
 7 Develop a participatory program
approaches.
 8  Easy Incorporation of commercial/ private
players in the field.
 9 Incorporation of Academics, Research
Institutes, student representatives.
 10 Flexibility in the e-learning programs like
availability of special classes, assisting
faculty, print materials and so on.
 PRESENT SCENERIO IN INDIA
e-health resources
 Symbiosis center of Healthcare
Pune has successfully
implemented e-learning and is offering Post
graduate courses in Medico-legal and
Healthcare Management enabling e-learning
doctors, nurses and other medical related
professionals from all over the globe are
currently able to get their Post Graduate
Degree from the comfort of their own place
 GlaxoSmithKline
 GlaxoSmithKline has licensed part of
Ingenuity Pathways Knowledge Base to
facilitate genome-wide computational
analysis of biological systems underlying
diseases. There are lots of sources of
biological content out there, but nothing is of
the breadth (genome-scale) and quality
(human curated information) of our offering
 WHO provides several resources in
Health Information
 Development of
various online
medical libraries like
WHO-discussion
forum, Health
Information of India
providing Health
Online Library. 
Future Education will be supported by
Multimedia tools
 . The ability to engage
many facets of a
student using
multimedia material has
the added advantage of
covering the many
learning styles present
in the diverse student
population in the
medical field
e-learning empowers Students and
Teacher too…
 The use of multimedia
coupled with the
tracking of
effectiveness and
collaboration of both
students and faculty
leads to a platform that
continues to evolve in
both effectiveness and
efficiency
 Several Resources on www
strengthen e-learning
 E-learning is widely used in
medical education and
becomes more important
every year. Networm
(www.networm-online.net) is
an initiative of several
universities with the aim to
develop and disseminate
case-based e-learning for
international use in
undergraduate, postgraduate
and continuing medical
education.
 E-learning saves time of Teacher and
Student
 Compared to the
conventional system the
most important
advantages of teaching by
multimedia tools are both
self-determination in
learning time and method
and their interactivity. The
user is able to determine
the intensity of his
learning process himself.
e-learning creates enthusiasm

 e-learning has the

advantage of
being able to
study apart from
time and place
and students are
more enthusiastic
about
 Medical Colleges in
INDIA
 Majority of the medical colleges were
established in the 50s & 60s by the state and
the central government. But since 1980s many
private colleges emerged all across India. The
quality and the standard of the medical
institutes are looked after by Medical Council
of India. The body has presently recognized
several Indian medical schools which has the
total capacity to educate > 31298
students.
Poor infrastructure and quality of Teachers
hampering the Medical Colleges

 In spite of the presence

of all the regulatory
mechanisms, barring
few, most of the medical
colleges across the
country are grossly
lacking competent
teachers, well stocked
library leave aside
adequate teaching
material
Overcoming the Problems???
 In order to bridge the
knowledge gap few tertiary
level academic medical
institutions took interest in
developing pilot studies by
networking peripheral
medical colleges with broad
band satellite and ISDN
link and providing need
based educational content
in an interactive
videoconference mode
 India growing concern with
Medical Education
. The growing criticism that our medical colleges
are producing graduates who are not well
equipped to tackle the health car needs of the
society
 While the graduates generally possess
reasonably sound knowledge of medical
science, they are often found deficient in the
performance of clinical skills and problem-
solving which form the core of clinical
competence
Our Curriculum stuffed with
theoretical Ideas ???
 The medical colleges in India have
traditionally followed a curriculum stuffed
with a large body of knowledge pertaining to
basic science and clinical disciplines. Once
qualified, students are expected to synthesise
this information and apply it to the care of
the patients. With the expanding body of
knowledge, there is over-burdening of the
student with the content information.
 Commercialisation of Medical
Profession
 The
commercialisation of
medical profession is
cited as a common
reason for the
dilution of quality,
doubts have been
raised regarding the
quality of training.
 Can we solve the Problems in
Medical Education
 The ultimate problem in medical education is
a crisis of leadership. Until education is given
a priority status and the obligations to teach
on the part of medical educators and to learn
on the part of students are translated into a
creative policy by those who can lead, the
wheels of learning will continue to spin
without significant progress.
 e-learning can reduce the
present crisis in Medical
Education
 Formation, devolvement and updation of data material/
information available in continuation and progressive
series for the use.
 Support to the flow and reception (ensure the best
utilization)
 Taking continuous feedback and action accordingly for
further improvement.
 Reduce the unit cost of education at a time of
-expansion of educational opportunities. a more
customized user-friendly form of learning.
Many advances can achieved with
Networking the communication
 Advancement in Telecommunications and
Information technology provides an
opportunity to bridge the knowledge gap by
networking academic medical centres of
excellence with peripheral medical colleges to
practice distance learning in the form of
interactive virtual class room, teleconference
of operative procedures, accessing library,
web enabled teaching activities etc
Can think of Better methods to
carry with present system
 With the phenomenal changes in educational
and information technology, the role of
teacher has undergone dramatic changes.
He/she is expected to possess skills and
abilities to plan the curriculum, make rational
use of the media technology and design an
assessment strategy
 Government of India supports the
Institutions with Information Technology

 Department of
Information Technology
and Indian Space
Research Organisation of
Government of India
have now agreed in
principle to support
setting up a nation wide
medical institution
network in a phase wise
manner.
 We can develop our own
Educational Content
 We should be responsible for developing
medical educational contents, hence, will be
provided infrastructure for grabbing, editing
and storing video materials in the digital
format. The content will be shared by all the
nodes connected in the network
 The network will enable to establish a virtual
university as well as a digital library network
among the participating medical institutions.
e-learning gaining prominence
in India
 E-learning or electronic
learning in India is
gaining prominence
slowly, but indeed
steadily. This is due to the
fact that more than half
the population of India
today is below 25 years of
age and the number of
Internet users are
growing continuously
 Technology rules the World
 We are surrounded
by technology; we
can choose to
resist it, or we can
embrace it...I
choose to embrace
it!
 Barbara K. Smalla - Technology
Support Specialist
Indian Medical Colleges should create
Own Digital Library
 A digital library is a library in
which collections are stored
in digital formats (as
opposed to print, microform,
or other media) and
accessible by computers.
The digital content may be
stored locally, or accessed
remotely via computer
networks. A digital library is
a type of information
retrieval system
Several sources available to
build Digital Library
 Project Gutenberg,
Google Book Search,
Internet Archive,
Cornell University, The Library of
Congress World Digital Library,
The Digital Library at the
University of Michigan, the
Greenstone digital library at the
University of Waikato, and
Carnegie Mellon University's
Million Book Project are
considered leaders in the field of
digital library creation and
management
www.medicalstudent.com
 www.medicalstudent.com

 The site introduces itself as “a digital library of

authoritative medical information for all
students of medicine.” It offers a starting point
for medical resources on the world wide web by
selecting representative websites, from
scientific ones to the less academic. All the sites
are selected by a process of peer review. The
home page lacks images and is constructed as a
structured list, divided in sections, each
containing links to the selected websites.
 The website also has a Medical Journal
section and a Medical Organizations section,
gathering links to many main journals and
organisations, respectively, which are
thought to be of interest to student If its
online medical dictionaries, Internet
directories or search engines that you want to
find, this website provides you with some
options for this as well.
Podcasts are great learning tools

 A podcast (or non-

streamed webcast) is a
series of digital media files
(either audio or video) that
are released episodically
and often downloaded
through web syndication.
The word usurped webcast
in common vernacular, due
to rising popularity of the
iPod and the innovation of
web feeds.
Podcasts are Educative
 Podcasts enable students
and teachers to share
information with anyone
anytime. If a student is
absent, he or she can
download the podcast of
the recorded lesson.
Teachers may also create
podcasts to be used as a
preparation tool for
students.
 Your IPod is not just for
music but can be your Teacher
 Your I Pod is a great
storage machine , you
can carry thousands
of Lectures by
greatest teachers in
the world.
 Your intelligent
search is the limit
Telehealth and Telemedicine

 Telehealth is an expansion of telemedicine, and

unlike telemedicine (which more narrowly
focuses on the curative aspect) it encompasses
preventive, promotive and curative aspects.
Originally used to describe administrative or
educational functions related to telemedicine,
today telehealth stresses a myriad of technology
solutions. For example, physicians use email to
communicate with patients, order drug
prescriptions and provide other health services.
Telehealth
 Telehealth is the delivery of
health-related services and
information via
telecommunications
technologies. Telehealth
delivery could be as simple as
two health professionals
discussing a case over the
telephone, or as sophisticated
as using videoconferencing
between providers at facilities
in two countries, or even as
complex as robotic technology.
Definition of Telemedicine
( WHO )
 According to World Health Organisation,
telemedicine is defined as, “The delivery of
healthcare services, where distance is a critical factor,
by all healthcare professionals using information and
communication technologies for the exchange of
valid information for diagnosis, treatment and
prevention of disease and injuries, research and
evaluation, and for continuing education of
healthcare providers, all in the interests of advancing
the health of individuals and their communities”.
 Telemedicine
 Telemedicine is a rapidly
developing application of
clinical medicine where
medical information is
transferred through
interactive audiovisual
media for the purpose of
consulting, and
sometimes remote
medical procedures or
examinations.
 Clinical uses of telehealth
technologies
 Transmission of medical images for diagnosis (often
referred to as store and forward telehealth)
 Groups or individuals exchanging health services or
education live via videoconference (real-time telehealth)
 Transmission of medical data for diagnosis or disease
management (sometimes referred to as remote
monitoring)
 Advice on prevention of diseases and promotion of good
health by patient monitoring and followup.
 Health advice by telephone in emergent cases (referred
to as teletriage)
 Nonclinical uses of
telehealth technologies
 Distance education including continuing
medical education, grand rounds, and patient
education
Administrative uses including meetings
among telehealth networks, supervision, and
presentations research on telehealth
Online Information and health data
management healthcare system integration
Nonclinical uses of telehealth
technologies
 Healthcare system
integration asset
identification, listing,
and patient to
Asset matching, and
movement.
Overall healthcare
system management
Patient movement and
remote admission
 Development of Telemedicine
Technology
 The Ministry of Communications and
Information Technology, Government of
India, has classified "Telemedicine" as one of
the thrust areas for development in the
country. In sync with the policy, the
Government initiated a project called
"Development of Telemedicine Technology".
Telemedicine of ISRO’s is one of the
Best in the World
All Medical Colleges should build,
organize own Digital Libraries
What is a DIGITAL LIBRARY?
 No single, all-encompassing answer
 Several perspectives
 from different communities - different agendas
 Little communication among them
 Coherent, integrating concept, approach not yet
emerged
 Complex problems in any approach
 Many experiments; many experts & “experts”
 Highly exiting & volatile area

© 66
 How digital libraries work

 Digital libraries hold metadata records, and

sometimes primary content
 Have a defined scope of content, intended
audience
 Metadata describes the resource content, the
intended user audience, resource type and other
characteristics
 Search over metadata and/or primary content to
retrieve information about and links to relevant
resources
Research perspective
"Digital libraries are organized collections of digital
information. They combine the structuring and
gathering of information, which libraries and archives
have always done, with the digital representation that
computers have made possible.” Lesk, 1997

“Digital library is a managed collection of information,

with associated services, where information is stored
in digital formats and accessible over a network.”
Arms, 2000

68
 Advantages: Why digital
libraries?
 Access: brings library
to users
 always available; better
and wider delivery
 many libraries now
possible to use
 Sharing: information
resources; linking
 Timeliness: easier to
keep current
Learning becomes personal
 Searching, browsing:
use of computer power
 Information resources:
new forms possible
 Services: new & new
forms possible
 Costs: may save effort,
money
India awaiting Digital
Book Revolution
e-book can replace old Textbooks
 An e-book (short for
electronic book and also
known as a digital book,
eBook, and eBook) is an e-
text that forms the digital
media equivalent of a
conventional printed book,
sometimes restricted with a
digital rights management
system E-books are usually
read on dedicated hardware
devices known as e-Readers or
e-book devices
Medical Council of India should
take up

As the Medical Council of India controls, regulates

the Infrastrure, staff pattern and training protocols.
Should take up the issues related to e-learning,
establishing Digital libraries, Tele Medicine as
apriority to overcome the several lacuna in the
prevailing situation in the country, as we are preparing
theoretical Doctors and least prepared to practice
Medicine on Scientific Basis to changing demands
 Created by Dr.T.V.Rao MD for benefit of
Medical Professionals

Email
doctortvrao@gmail.com