SOFTWARE REVIEW

The Virtual Procedures Clinic, CD-ROM ByJ.M. Boon, P.H. Abrahams, J.H. Meiring, and T. WelchPrimal Pictures Ltd., 2002, £30.00 fromwww.primalpictures.com

The Virtual Procedures Clinic CD is a welcomeand unique addition to the educational products thatsuccessfully correlate basic with clinical sciences. Thishighly interactive program is structured in eight sec-tions, comprising some of the most important to beknown medical procedures: lumbar puncture; oro- andnaso-tracheal intubation; central venous catheteriza-tion; cricothyroidotomy; great saphenous vein cut-down; pericardiocentesis; knee joint aspiration; andwrist and digital nerve block. The current CD-ROMis PC-only compatible. The menu format of eachprocedure is consistent throughout the entire pro-gram, which permits any user to become familiar andsmoothly navigate both across and within sections.

Each of the above-mentioned sections of the pro-gram represents an encyclopedic work on the topicand is usefully structured into four major compart-ments: Procedure Simulation Room; Clinical Back-ground Room; Clinical Anatomy Laboratory; and Li-brary. Good quality photographs of prosectedspecimens are augmented by overlapping drawingsthat can be added and removed and correspond tocolor coded keys regarding terminology, proceduralsteps, or explanations. When appropriate, more thanone view or section of the same anatomical region areavailable. Additional images correlate some of theprosected material with surface anatomy and radio-graphs. By clicking on clearly marked icons/links, theuser has the option of listening to the concise com-ments accompanying the slides or accessing them astext. Moreover, the text related to each procedure isavailable in full in Word format in the Library com-partment, with the possibility of printing it out. Thebibliographical references are linked in a functionalmanner to the text and the entire list of references canbe viewed independently in the Library.

The Clinical Background Room compartment ofeach procedure is structured further into four conciseand to the point components: Indications, Contraindi-

cations, Materials, and Step-By-Step Procedure. Theviewer has the advantage of accessing one or all ofthese sections, in any order, as desired. The ClinicalAnatomy Laboratory contains two parts: AnatomicalPitfalls and Complications (although this part does notrefer strictly to complications). Each part is very usefulfrom a practical perspective and consists of lists ofitems linked to other screens that reinforce the clinicalanatomy pertinent to the region and procedure.

The CD is rich in useful information that everystudent or medical practitioner is compelled to find,especially when they need it the most and under timeconstrain, be it in laboratory, classroom, or clinicalsettings. The abundant information is very well orga-nized and user-friendly. The design is logical andallows the users to concentrate on the content and tolocate and access precisely and quickly the knowledgeor clinical skill they are particularly looking for.

The Virtual Procedures Clinic CD combines a thor-ough exploration into relevant facts and principles, ado-it-yourself step-by-step manual, and a muchneeded guide to why and when problems could occurand how they should be prevented or corrected. Theprogram is a very effective hands-on learning tool in acompact format for medical and allied health students,as well as for physicians, especially during their in-ternship and residency. The CD is an excellent re-source to be added to any private or institutionalmedical library.

Cristian Stefan*Associate Professor

Department of Cell BiologyUniversity of Massachusetts Medical School

Worcester, Massachusetts

*Correspondence to: Cristian Stefan, MD, Associate Professor,Department of Cell Biology, S7-139, University of MassachusettsMedical School, 55 Lake Avenue North, Worcester, MA 01655.E-mail: Cristian.Stefan@umassmed.edu

Received 16 February 2004; Accepted 20 February 2004

Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ca.20043

Clinical Anatomy 17:586 (2004)

© 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.