Backtracking

So I have started my blog a little later than I had hoped, and need to work backwards a bit to when all of this started...

April 9, 2009

Preliminary committee meeting minutes

Committee

BMC Advisors (present):
Nick Woolridge - Supervisor
Michael Corrin - Surgical illustration/new media advisor

Medical content advisors (not in attendance):
Dr. Oleh Antonyshyn, Division of Plastic Surgery, Sunnybrook Health Science Centre
Dr. Jeffrey Fialkov, Division of Plastic Surgery, Sunnybrook Health Science Centre
Dr. Ron Somogyi, Division of Plastic Surgery, University of Toronto, Resident Year 1

Project: Local Flap Reconstruction of the Head and Neck; A comprehensive, interactive resource

Target Audience: Plastic surgery residents

Ideas and Discussion:

• New Media stream – definitely a non-linear, interactive project. Potential for 3d components if needed
  
• Project will focus on the “Principles of Flap Reconstruction” component outlined in the initial proposal from the surgeons at Sunnybrook, with possible supporting sections (e.g. Anatomy, Clinical cases)
  
• Level of interactivity:
  o Some level of user involvement would be ideal, however complete user control (i.e. virtual operating room) will be too intensive to achieve in this project.
  o Allowing the user to choose from a selection of pre determined variables (e.g. flap geometry, skin thickness?) may provide an appropriate middle ground
  --> Ancient Frog iPhone game: visual reference for moving a jointed, animated object into limited, predetermined positions (Nick’s idea). Video here:
  
  
• Interesting visualization idea for skin thickness map by colour (also Nick’s!)
  
• Evaluation? Paper? Undecided as of yet.
  o Limited audience for a full evaluation.
  o Possible usability evaluation. Talk to Jodie?

Next steps

• Full committee meeting including Dr. Somogyi
• Needs assessment
  o How do residents currently learn these techniques?
  o What are the top priorities for me to take into account when planning the project?

April 27, 2009

My OVID search needs some serious refining, but due to some computer issues and an incredible weather forecast, I opted to avoid OVID and head down to Gerstein library where I found four books dedicated exclusively to flaps in head and neck surgery, as well as a larger general book on head and neck reconstruction. Many are a bit out-of-date, but it's a start... and they are full of visual references! Plus it is at least nice to find entire books devoted to one's topic.

(just a list for now, comments to follow)

Head and neck reconstruction2009. , ed. C. E. Butler. New York: Saunders/Elsevier.

Local flaps and free skin grafts in head and neck reconstruction 1992. , ed. Janusz Bardach. St. Louis: Mosby Year Book.

Conley, John J. 1989. Flaps in head and neck surgery, eds. John J. Conley, Carl Patow. 2nd rev. and enl. ed. -- ed. New York: Thieme Medical Publishers.

Jackson, Ian T. 1985. Local flaps in head and neck reconstruction. St. Louis: Mosby.

Panje, William R. 1989. Free flap reconstruction of the head and neck, ed. William J. Moran. New York: Thieme Medical Publishers.

To do next: readings on the wiki, then tackle OVID again (maybe the readings will help)