Results
The project is dedicated to fulfill two major tasks: (1) creation and maintenance of the Web-server with information on prevention together with scientifically proved but written in lay language background information on major infectious diseases (mainly STD, HIV/AIDS and TB) for general public and (2) selection, preparation and testing of the distance education course for PHC specialists on CCD. The work on the project will proceed through several stages. During first stage search for information will be undertaken which will serve dual purpose - collection of the information for the distance learning course and lay public as well as analysis of existing resources on CCD. Especial attention will be paid to the professionally interesting, scientifically sound and in the same time written in lay language resources. The search of Web- based information will be augmented by the search of printed materials - journals and books - that are relevant to the general task of the project. As the result list of available resources will be compiled, information found will be assessed as to the validity and reliability after which materials in foreign languages will be translated into Russian. Some book excerpts (not violating copyright laws) will also be translated for using in teaching (example could be "Hot zone" by R.Preston or "Black Death" by G.Cravens & J. Marr). Russian resources will be converted into electronic form for use in DE program.
After materials has been collected, a general access Web-site will be organized. This part of the project will include maintenance of the existing HIV/AIDS Web-site created in framework of the Russian-Canadian AIIDS project. Maintenance will include selection, translation and continuous update of the HIV/AIDS news, views and commentaries. Also separate Web-pages on STD prevention will be organized. This site will include information of prevention methods (use of condoms, behavioral aspects of prevention, probability of disease transmission, emergency prevention, etc.) as well as background information on STD. Project team will try to place links for this pages to the Web-sites advertising commercial sex or CSW sites.
Special part of this site will be directed to health care specialists and will continue more special information on prevention, diagnosis and treatment. It is envisioned that clinical guidelines for PHC specialists generated in framework of other BSTF project will be placed on this site.
The general access site will serve as repository of the materials on prevention, diagnosis and treatment of communicable diseases and will contain links to other Web-resources (mostly updateable).
In parallel with creation of the general access Web-site an analysis of the distance learning technologies will be undertaken. It will focus of the new and emerging technologies in comparison with existing methods of content delivery. More specifically it will be studies how well WAP access (mobile Internet) used and whether it worth while to set up WAP-site for fast access to information on STD prevention. To which extent there could be demand for other low-bandwidth technologies of data access. Analysis will be made on existing audio compression technologies and their usefulness for content delivery (lectures) to the end users. Other educational technologies such as videoconferences, audioconferences will be analyzed along with best suitable for content delivery compression algorithms and software. As the result of the analysis a report on educational technologies will be prepared. |
