Web Alert: Bioterrorism site uses screen saver to educate
September 1, 2002 2 minutes read
Site: Center for Disaster Preparedness at the University of Alabama at Birmingham
Address: www.bioterrorism.uab.edu
For more information about the site, contact: Thomas E. Terndrup, MD, Director, Center for Disaster Preparedness, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 625 19th St. S., JTN 266, Birmingham, AL 35249-7013. Fax: (205) 975-4662. E-mail: [email protected].
Are you always on the lookout for innovative ways to educate staff about bioterrorism? Now a web site developed by the Center for Disaster Preparedness at the University of Alabama at Birmingham offers user-friendly resources, including an interactive screen saver. The bioterrorism web site was developed by a group of investigators at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), and is funded by the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality in Rockville, MD.
The site offers a wealth of information for ED staff, such as help with making a differential diagnosis for several biological agents, says Thomas E. Terndrup, MD, professor and chair of the department of emergency medicine and director of the Center for Disaster Preparedness. Users also can enter the web site via an interactive screen saver, which works as "passive education" for anyone walking by the computer, Terndrup says. (To access the screen saver, click on "UAB Center for Disaster Preparedness," "Emerging & Rare Infections Screen Saver.")
"It’s a billboard-like effect where you deliver a simple educational message," he explains. "In this case, there is a question inviting you to link to the web site," Terndrup explains.
Users can review case-based scenarios with photos followed by multiple-choice questions and answers. A web-based download is being developed, which would allow for continuous updating of information on bioterrorism, Terndrup reports. "There is a comprehensive and clinical summary content on the top two biological agents: smallpox and anthrax," he adds.
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