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An Internet-based discussion forum as a useful resource for the discussion of clinical cases and an educational tool

INTRODUCTION: An Internet-based group of plastic surgeons was formed in India in February 2001. It has 1290 members and seeks to facilitate online discussion. These discussions were reviewed to assess their value in education and aiding patient management. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All messages and dis...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Foong, Deborah P. S., McGrouther, Duncan A.
Formato: Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Medknow Publication 2010
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3010782/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21217980
http://dx.doi.org/10.4103/0970-0358.73448
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author Foong, Deborah P. S.
McGrouther, Duncan A.
author_facet Foong, Deborah P. S.
McGrouther, Duncan A.
author_sort Foong, Deborah P. S.
collection PubMed
description INTRODUCTION: An Internet-based group of plastic surgeons was formed in India in February 2001. It has 1290 members and seeks to facilitate online discussion. These discussions were reviewed to assess their value in education and aiding patient management. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All messages and discussions between August 2007 and July 2008 were examined retrospectively. Data were collected regarding topics, replies, and use of clinical images. RESULTS: A total of 2217 messages were exchanged within 330 separate discussions (mean = 6.7 messages per discussion, range = 0–45). A total of 164 discussions contained photographs (50%). Mean number of photographs per discussion was five (range = 0–34). Discussions included requests for advice on complex cases (40%), interesting cases and their management/outcome (25%) and courses/conferences (30%). Topics discussed include training/courses (26.7%), cleft (15.4%), aesthetics (13.1%), trauma (12.5%), head and neck (8.4%), cutaneous (6.4%), perineal/genital reconstruction (6.1%), and scar management (4.7%). DISCUSSION: Forums like this facilitate discussion between individuals in remote locations. They provide easy access to the expertise of a large cohort of highly experienced surgeons. Most discussions were clinical, involving challenging situations. The discussions are open and nonjudgmental, hence encouraging contribution and healthy debate. We encourage its use as an educational tool and a platform for discussion.
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spelling pubmed-30107822011-01-07 An Internet-based discussion forum as a useful resource for the discussion of clinical cases and an educational tool Foong, Deborah P. S. McGrouther, Duncan A. Indian J Plast Surg Original Article INTRODUCTION: An Internet-based group of plastic surgeons was formed in India in February 2001. It has 1290 members and seeks to facilitate online discussion. These discussions were reviewed to assess their value in education and aiding patient management. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All messages and discussions between August 2007 and July 2008 were examined retrospectively. Data were collected regarding topics, replies, and use of clinical images. RESULTS: A total of 2217 messages were exchanged within 330 separate discussions (mean = 6.7 messages per discussion, range = 0–45). A total of 164 discussions contained photographs (50%). Mean number of photographs per discussion was five (range = 0–34). Discussions included requests for advice on complex cases (40%), interesting cases and their management/outcome (25%) and courses/conferences (30%). Topics discussed include training/courses (26.7%), cleft (15.4%), aesthetics (13.1%), trauma (12.5%), head and neck (8.4%), cutaneous (6.4%), perineal/genital reconstruction (6.1%), and scar management (4.7%). DISCUSSION: Forums like this facilitate discussion between individuals in remote locations. They provide easy access to the expertise of a large cohort of highly experienced surgeons. Most discussions were clinical, involving challenging situations. The discussions are open and nonjudgmental, hence encouraging contribution and healthy debate. We encourage its use as an educational tool and a platform for discussion. Medknow Publication 2010 /pmc/articles/PMC3010782/ /pubmed/21217980 http://dx.doi.org/10.4103/0970-0358.73448 Text en © Indian Journal of Plastic Surgery http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licence, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
spellingShingle Original Article
Foong, Deborah P. S.
McGrouther, Duncan A.
An Internet-based discussion forum as a useful resource for the discussion of clinical cases and an educational tool
title An Internet-based discussion forum as a useful resource for the discussion of clinical cases and an educational tool
title_full An Internet-based discussion forum as a useful resource for the discussion of clinical cases and an educational tool
title_fullStr An Internet-based discussion forum as a useful resource for the discussion of clinical cases and an educational tool
title_full_unstemmed An Internet-based discussion forum as a useful resource for the discussion of clinical cases and an educational tool
title_short An Internet-based discussion forum as a useful resource for the discussion of clinical cases and an educational tool
title_sort internet-based discussion forum as a useful resource for the discussion of clinical cases and an educational tool
topic Original Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3010782/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21217980
http://dx.doi.org/10.4103/0970-0358.73448
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