E-Learning
for Laboratory Medicine professionals
Following “e-HEMATimage”, “e-MEDICINimage” has come into the world. In line with the Leonardo da Vinci programme the purpose of this project is to provide non-specialist laboratory medicine professionals with continuing education in parasitology and mycology, and this primarily in hospital or private laboratories that are polyvalent. E-MEDICINimage brings new openings into the world.
Following haematology, here come medical parasitology and mycology. Boosted by the success encountered with e-HEMATimage, Professor Joel Corberand has just launched two new continuing education programmes for laboratory medicine professionals via the Internet.
Former head of the Rangueil Haematology Department and President of the Biology and Medicine Continuing Education Association (FCBM) he founded, Joel Corberand keeps on developing his position and the University Hospital of Toulouse reaps the benefits from this in a domain that takes advantage of all favourable opportunities presented by new communication technologies and which is the mainstay of enhanced economical and social cost-efficiency in terms of medicine.
The website of e-MEDICINimage
Professor Corberand’s approach lies within the European framework of the Leonardo da Vinci project. It was founded on a partnership between several European Union member countries and built on the basis of multilingualism. In fact, the new programmes have been designed in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish and French. The multilingual option makes it possible to reach a maximum number of professionals in Europe, as well as on other continents (South America, Asia, Africa) where co-operations are already engaged. As it now reaches 2,500 people in 36 countries, the e-HEMATimage programme is regarded as a milestone in this field.
The two new programmes, brought together under the common name ‘e-MEDICINimage’, are to be completed by 2011. They are piloted by Pr. Joel Corberand who serves as the general project manager and by Pr. Jean-Francois Magnaval, head of the Parasitology–Mycology Department of the Toulouse University Hospital, who manages parasitology concerns. Pr. Dominique Chabasse also head of a Parasitology–Mycology UHC Department (in Angers).
’’They play a considerable role’’ explains Joel Corberand. They are like these gold washers whose nuggets are affections that are diagnosed early. They handle large flows of biological investigations prescribed in all domains. This is what screening is based on. Providing more acute precision will make it possible to treat the patient earlier, which will increase the patient’s chances of recovery and will cost a lot less than a tardy diagnosis’’.
These E-Learning programmes have been constructed on the basis of two principles: One is multilingualism, to offer easy access to the greatest number of professionals from the countries concerned by the languages used in the program and who do not necessarily have a working knowledge of English; the other is a problem-solving pedagogical technique.
’’We must offer training that presents situations similar to those encountered routinely at work” emphasizes Pr. Corberand.
Access to these E-learning programmes is augmented by the nature of the software used which authorizes automatic Internet connection as soon as the e-MEDICINimage software is turned on. The dossiers are then uploaded and can be worked on offline as suits the user. This operational mode provides a good solution for those who have a legal obligation to attend continuing education programmes. Once the implementation is completed, after September 2011, the programme combining the three specialities (e-HEMATimage, e-PARASITimage and e-MYCOimage) should be self-financed. It will be accessible to independent biologists (free of charge through the BIOFORMA institution, in France) and to hospital centres that will apply for yearly subscriptions. The fees for Europe will be very competitive and those of poorer countries, within Africa for instance, will be much cheaper. Free subscriptions will be granted to the poorest countries according to the principles already in place for e-HEMATimage.
The current project is being financed by partnership. Grouped around the University Hospital of Toulouse that accepted to promote the project, are the FCBM association and the institutions that are linked with the professional domains of the specialists participating in the development of these two programmes: The Paul Sabatier University and the Medical and University Institutes of Barcelona (Pr. Fernando SANCHEZ) and Salamanca (Pr. Antonio MURO) for Spain, Lisbon (Pr. Luis TAVORA TAVIRA) and Carnaxide (Pr. Cristina TOSCANO) for Portugal, Gdansk (Pr. Przemyslaw MYJAK) and Warsaw (Pr. Katarzyna DZIERZANOWSKA) for Poland, Glasgow (Pr. Huw SMITH) and Manchester (Pr. Malcolm RICHARDSON) for UK.
The total costs of the projects amounts to 433,000 Euros, 275,000 of which are financed by the European Community.
It should be noted that Pr. Corberand and Pr. Magnaval are the only ones to have obtained financing of a Leonardo da Vinci project within the Paul Sabatier University, regardless of the discipline.
As Pr. Corberand underscores, this type of multilingual programme, based on problem-solving, is open to all medical and paramedical specialities, including health service operations and administrative management.
Translated from TRAIT D’UNION, the journal of the University Hospital of Toulouse Page 1