ISlide: A 'big picture' interactive teledermatopathology e-learning system

Background Dermatopathology training is often limited by facilities and a dearth of specialists. Advancements in information and communication technologies have made possible the adoption of innovative learning techniques, especially in places where specialists are lacking. Objectives To implement and evaluate the performance of the iSlide system, which is an interactive dermatopathology training platform (http://scope.tmu.edu.tw/islide2/). Methods Fifty-two cases representing a variety of dermatopathology conditions and complications were used to set up the iSlide system, and virtual slides of these cases were produced. Medical students from the Dermatology Department of Taipei Medical University were taught to use the system. Performance of the system was evaluated and validated using questionnaires, the first comprising 20 questions and the second a shorter, six-question telephone-based survey on 15 of the 96 interns. Twenty cases prepared by the iSlide system were also presented at an international dermatopathology conference and evaluated by conference participants. Results Ninety-six students and 72 experts participated in the study. Ninety-two per cent of the students and 98% of the experts found the iSlide system to be a useful tool for learning dermatopathology. Of these, 82% of the students and 63% of the experts felt that iSlide was easy to use. Conclusions iSlide is useful for dermatopathology. As only 82% of the student evaluators and 63% of the expert evaluators found the system easy to use, further work has to be done to improve the iSlide interface to make the system more user friendly.