Carolina Sturm Trindade

Sites sobre drogas de abuso: recursos para avaliação

Health professionals should be encouraged to gain independence in the search for, selection, and use of information to solve daily problems. Furthermore, they should be encouraged to reflect on the events that were experienced, to pursue the reconstruction of the path that was followed, and to give them a new meaning. This article presents a learning experience graduate students had during the process of evaluating Brazilian sites on drugs of abuse. After ascertaining the great amount of information on drugs of abuse and the lack of criteria in discussing them on the Internet, a research process got underway that triggered the preparation of a protocol to assist in the process of selecting Brazilian sites that address the drugs of abuse issue.

Evaluation of the photo-electrocardiogram as a tool for formative second opinion

AIMS: This study aimed to evaluate the photo-electrocardiogram (photo-ECG), as an alternative tool to enable remote formative second opinion in cardiology. METHODS: Fifty paper electrocardiograms (ECGs) were photographed two times, the first using a Canon digital camera, 0.3 megapixel resolution, and the second using a Nokia mobile phone integrated camera, 2.0 megapixel resolution, resulting in 100 Photo-ECGs. A pilot study was responsible for determining the acquisition method. The 100 Photo-ECGs were randomized, encrypted and sent by e-mail to a remote cardiologist, while the 50 paper ECGs were delivered to him in person, without randomization. Gender and age were the only patient information made available to the specialist. RESULTS: Data analysis demonstrated a disagreement in 14 of 50 interpretations (28%) when comparing paper ECGs to the Canon camera photo-ECGs and in 13 of 50 interpretations (26%) when comparing paper ECGs to the Nokia camera photo-ECGs. The Kappa test revealed a fair agreement (Kappa=0.356) between interpretations when comparing the original ECGs to their respective photo-ECGs for both camera devices. CONCLUSIONS: The concordance between photo-ECGs and original tracings demonstrated that the method described herein has the potential for use as a tool to assist clinical practice, provided that the acquisition of photo-ECGs is adapted so as to improve exam images. Only with good to very good concordance between the original ECGs and photo-ECGs will remote formative second opinion be possible, giving better diagnostic and therapeutic options.

Educação a Distância no Ensino das áreas da Saúde

O objetivo principal deste Grupo de Pesquisa é realizar pesquisas do fenômeno complexo de ensino-aprendizagem, a partir das necessidades específicas da formação de profissionais para atuação nas áreas de Saúde, integrando enfoques multidisciplinares que levem em conta as bases biológicas do aprendizado, as teorias cognitivas e psicológicas que interpretam o mesmo fenômeno, bem como os modelos didáticopedagógicos que fundamentam e qualificam atividades de ensino e produção de materiais de apoio a alunos e professores destas áreas. Na pesquisa serão contemplados três enfoques: o acompanhamento das atividades de ensino e a avaliação das contribuições e/ou impactos deste material no processo de ensino-aprendizagem, a validação dos modelos probabilísticos construídos e o desenvolvimento de ferramentas computacionais para Educação em Saúde.