An evaluation of the effectiveness of a computer simulation of anaesthetic uptake and distribution as a teaching tool

Gas Man is an interactive, microcomputer-based simulation and tutorial designed to teach the principles of anaesthetic uptake and distribution. Using two resident groups, one at a primary university-teaching hospital and the other at a medical school affiliated community hospital, the authors compared residents' knowledge of the subject prior to exposure to the tutorial and the average time spent using the program during a self-paced instruction period. Both groups not only significantly improved their knowledge of uptake and distribution 8 weeks after using this program, but wished to spend additional time with it, implying that it was a pleasant and satisfying way to learn. Computer simulation has the potential to be an important teaching tool in an anaesthesia residency training programme.