A teaching file program for use in an ultrasound department

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Medical Education
• Ultrasound Technology

Background:

• Traditional radiology teaching files can be cumbersome and difficult to search.
• A need exists for efficient, digitized systems for storing and retrieving ultrasound case data.
• Developing a user-friendly teaching file program is crucial for medical education.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a microcomputer-based radiology teaching file program for an ultrasound department.
• To enable efficient storage and retrieval of sonographic findings and diagnoses.
• To facilitate the creation of a searchable database of ultrasound cases.

Main Methods:

• A radiology teaching file program was developed for microcomputer use.
• Sonographic findings and diagnoses were stored using keywords from a user-defined vocabulary (up to 2000 words).
• Ultrasound technologists entered data based on ultrasound reports, with cases retrievable by keyword selection.

Main Results:

• The program allows storage of approximately 5000 cases per 360-kilobyte floppy disk.
• Cases can be retrieved by selecting individual or groups of keywords.
• Results can be printed in various formats, demonstrating system utility.

Conclusions:

• The developed program provides an effective method for managing ultrasound teaching files.
• The system enhances the accessibility and educational value of radiology case archives.
• Experience over 12 months indicates the program's practical utility in an ultrasound department.