Objectives: The aim of our project was to develop and evaluate an interactive computer-based approach to teach medical students in occupational medicine. To enhance interest in occupational medicine the major focus was on clinical and practical aspects of occupational medicine.
Methods: The computer program was designed in HTML and JavaScript. It presents a guided tour of the patient's case history followed by information on practice and theory of occupational medicine. The program was integrated into the curriculum during the summer term of 1999 and the following winter term. To assess the effectiveness and acceptability of the program we asked students to rate the program on an 18-item questionnaire.
Results: Overall, 287 students participated in the evaluation of the program. The participants highly recommended the program structure and had no difficulties in handling the program. This was independent of the computer experience of the students. The evaluation showed that it was possible to enhance interest in occupational medicine by using "virtual patients".
Conclusion: The program represents a student-orientated learning tool that points out clinical and practical aspects of occupational medicine. The availability via the Internet allows the application as a self-learning tool as well as a teaching tool for the medical curriculum.