The goal of the Iowa/Missouri Rural Satellite is to improve the diagnosis and treatment of DAT patients by providing educational outreach to rural physicians and associated healthcare professionals. The consortium between the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and the Washington University Alzheimer's Disease Research Center developed to encourage distant rural outreach to Midwestern communities. This goal has not changed. However, the number of rural-practicing professionals reached per outreach visit has been small, while the cost is high. Further, this approach reduces the benefits of continued exchange and reinforcement of learned material. This satellite proposes four mechanisms for educational outreach, two of them new: A. Continue to travel to and provide educational programs in rural areas (this activity will be diminished and limited almost entirely to rural sites within two hours drive time from either University location (Iowa City or St. Louis). B. Continue to provide rural healthcare practitioners telephone consultation. (This mechanism will be significantly expanded at the Iowa site.) C. Conduct two interactive teleconferences per year to be disseminated throughout Iowa using ICN, the new fiber-optic network available in each of Iowa's counties and to make these available via video tape and satellite transmission to rural MO counties (new mechanism). D. Provide rural practitioners with electronic (email) access to AD experts at both institutions (University of Iowa and Washington University) and to library services at Washington University (new mechanism).
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