A web-based teaching program for laboratory diagnosis of coagulation disorders.

OBJECTIVE To implement an interactive program for teaching coagulation disorders on the World Wide Web. DESIGN AND RESULTS The core materials in this program were derived from a personal computer software program previously designed by the authors. Three modules were developed in this program: (1) a coagulation profile to display typical results of coagulation screening tests for each disorder; (2) a differential diagnosis module to generate a list of diagnoses that fit the test results in a given case; and (3) a synopsis of coagulopathy and therapy to provide essential information on disorders and therapeutic options. A total of 41 coagulation disorders were included in the knowledge base. CONCLUSIONS Since the World Wide Web is increasingly more accessible to computer users, it has become an ideal medium for teaching purposes. Our experience with this program in teaching medical students and pathology residents at our institution has been very encouraging.