MedEdPORTAL (May 2007)
Complications of Diabetes Mellitus: Interactive Tutorial (Out of Print)
Abstract
Abstract The focus of this online learning module is on offering medical students an interactive forum in which to learn about the various complications of diabetes mellitus. By providing both a time line and an organ-based navigation system, the module allows students to appreciate the longitudinal progression of poorly managed diabetes, as well as the physiological and clinical details of how diabetes affects each organ. Every organ-specific complication (diabetic retinopathy, nephropathy, etc.) contains a brief introduction to the physiology behind the disorder, followed by the typical patient history, physical exam and test findings, and suggested treatment for the disorder. A self-assessment at the end of each section allows students to test their grasp of the information they have just learned. Breaking information into discrete chunks, as this module does, is highly effective in teaching students a large amount of information without overwhelming them all at once. In addition, taking preclinical students from the initial history all the way through the physical exam, tests, and treatment of particular conditions provides them with a glimpse into the comprehensive management of these diabetes complications. Framing the complications in this clinically relevant manner not only serves to solidify what students have learned from their lectures but also demonstrates how they will soon be approaching patient problems in their clinical years. The module has been used as a supplementary resource for the Metabolism Nutrition course at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine. Anecdotally, students have described the module as being quite helpful in consolidating and solidifying the information about diabetes that they had learned from the course's lectures. The module is also available as a supplementary resource for medical students at Stanford University.
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