(Taken from application abstract): The Tufts University Health Sciences Library (THSL) under its broad goal of information management and access proposes to develop a series of comprehensive digital multimedia resources (DMRs) composed of educational materials and supporting multimedia, including still images, digital video, and audio. These materials will be integrated into living documents through cross-referencing by hypertext links. This dynamic integration requires the ability to store, index, search and retrieve, manipulate, transmit, and cross-reference text and multimedia to integrate biomedical information. We will accomplish this by using BASISplus, a powerful document database management system. These databases will serve the THSL constituency on the Health Sciences Campus as well as remote users, regardless of platform. The remote access has become essential as changes in health care have moved students and faculty into the communities which surround academic centers. Our project also fits perfectly with the rapid movement of our faculty into the realm of telemedicine. The THSL proposes the collaborative creation of digital multimedia resources (DMRs) that will: 1. Meet the changes in medical education, and 2. Meet the changes in clinical care. The DMR for medical education will provide access to core curricular materials via TCP/IP connections either on-campus direct connections or off-site connections via PPP. Initial documents will be the basic science course syllabi and their associated images including the THSL?s library reserve slide collections and faculty lecture slides. The database will be enhanced by the addition of problem-based materials, which will integrate clinical and basic science materials. To meet the changes in clinical care, we will work with the Tufts Managed Care Institute, The Center for Learning, the Continuing Education Department, and the Health Institute at NEMC to develop managed care and primary care DMRs for TUSM students, residents, faculty and practicing clinicians. The emphasis of the documents will be content important to primary care training and practice including, the incorporation of managed care principles for all levels of learners. Through the development of these DMRs we will demonstrate the value of digitally managing local information to address information needs. These dynamic cross-referenced DMRs will be valuable locally and nationally.
| Lee, Mary Y; Albright, Susan A; Alkasab, Tarik et al. (2003) Tufts Health Sciences Database: lessons, issues, and opportunities. Acad Med 78:254-64 |
