The Center for Biomedical Informatics
State University of Campinas, Brazil

Research Abstracts

The simulation of clinical cases through computers has found an increased application in the training of students of Health Sciences, particularly in the area of decision-making and patient management problems. With this aim, we have developed a generic authoring system for computer-based learning, named MEDTEST I, which is ideally suited to the building and presentation of all kinds of interactive case simulations. The program was written in compiled Turbo BASIC (Borland) for IBM/PC-compatible microcomputers, and can be used by any teacher, even those with little computer experience. The cases are simply written into a "script" file, using any ASCII-oriented text processing program. MEDTEST reads and processes this text, managing its presentation to the student according to command lines embedded by the case writer into the script file. There are ca. 30 easy-to-use commands, constituting a simple command language, with mnemonic words available simultaneously in three idioms: English, Portuguese and Spanish. The program allows also for ca. 15 'environmental' commands, which are used to specify the control structures during execution, such as: allowance for repetition of wrong answers, immediate or delayed review of correct answers and comments, scoring, student identification and storage of student performance, etc. Conditional and inconditional jumps from frames and questions can also be programmed. In addition to presentation frames and 5 different types of multiple-choice and open questions, the program allows for static graphic screens (PIC or PCX standards), sounds, etc. MEDTEST is presently being tested within an integrated project of computer-based learning in our Medical and Nursing schools.

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Last Updated: March 2, 1996

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