Background:

The diagnosis and management of electrolyte and acid-base disorders are considered among the most difficult areas for clinicians and students alike. Medical emergencies in this area are often complex, and a sound grasp of the subject is therefore essential. An interactive web-based simulation has been developed as part of an effort to present a physiology-based approach as the preferred way to address these disorders.

Methods:

We endeavoured to implement best practices as regards educational principles, and also as regards user interface design. Flash® from Adobe Systems® was used for the development of an interactive case-based simulation illustrating relevant pathophysiological processes and the responses to various therapies selected by the user. A PowerPoint® “wireframe” or “storyboard” was constructed and served as a starting point for the communication between the author and the team of developers, who had no background in biomedical sciences. The ActionScript™ programming language was used to control the simulation by calculating the effects of user-selected therapies on parameters like plasma, Na concentration and brain volume, then displaying appropriate messages based on the results of the treatment.

Discussion:

Flash® applications allow for maximum user interaction to provide a rich user experience, and avoid the problems of cross-browser and cross-platform incompatibility. It runs on almost all PCs, as well as an increasing number of mobile phones and other devices. We have created a reusable learning object which is sharable from one developer or educator to another, and which can easily be incorporated into WebCT or other e-learning platforms.

The simulation will be demonstrated, followed by a discussion of lessons learnt and future plans for evaluation and further development of the application.