Malaria: 2nd Edition
Full Review

Reviewed by: Jaime F. Calderon Jr., Project Coordinator, Migration Health, IOM Regional Mission in Bangkok, Thailand.
Review posted 27 October 2004
Review No. 19

CD-ROM Information

Content: 13 interactive tutorials covering all aspects of malarial biology, epidemiology, control, and diagnosis.
Publication Date: 1 January 2001
Audience: Medical and Life Science Students, Researchers and Healthcare Professionals

Size: 32 MB
Price: £5/$9 developing country rate. £120/$195 institutional rate. £30/$55 student and individual rate:
Manual needed: No.
How to order:

Order online* from TALC for the developing country rate.

Order by mail:
TALC
PO Box 49
St Albans, Herts AL1 5TX
United Kingdom

E-mail: info@talcuk.org
Tel: +44 (0)1727 853869
Fax: +44 (0)1727 846852

Order online* from CABI Publishing for the developed country rate.

Order by mail:
CABI Publishing
Wallingford, Oxfordshire
OX10 8DE
United Kingdom

E-mail: publishing@cabi.org
Tel: +44 1491 832111
Fax: +44 1491 829292

A free web sampler is available on The Wellcome Trust* website.

*This link takes you outside the ADBI website. Please use the back button to return to ADBI.org.

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Full Review

This 2nd Edition of the Malaria CD-ROM, produced by The Wellcome Trust, provides comprehensive information aimed at refreshing and updating the knowledge and skills of health professionals, teachers, researchers, project developers, and health policy makers. To medical laboratory and public health students, it is an important learning tool that provides fundamental as well as updated information and illustrations on the epidemiology, pathology, and management of the disease. Using simple terms, the illustrations and pictures clearly provide the user an insight into the disease that otherwise could only be gain through direct field experience.

The well-experienced technical resources from various institutions that contributed to this edition are highly commendable. References are made available for those interested in advancing their studies.

The navigability and interactivity of this multimedia product provides the targeted audiences enough flexibility in focusing their study according to interest: thus it is easy to use.

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Content

The technical contributions contained in this CD-ROM came from well- experienced scientists, researchers, health professionals, and institutions specializing on malaria, entomology, epidemiology and communicable disease control. Data were consolidated and presented according to topics that capture the audience’s field of interest. To facilitate learning and gain insightful experience on the disease, this CD-ROM provides a variety of well-described illustrations and pictures that also complements the narrative discussions. Well-designed and focused assessments are provided at the end of each topic allowing users to evaluate their acquired knowledge and understanding of the disease.

This CD-ROM was designed as an educational tool to assist health professionals, para-professionals and students to:

• gain fundamental knowledge and understanding on the pathogenesis of the disease, the parasite, and its vectors;
• gain insightful and updated information on the epidemiology, interventions, and clinical management of the disease; and
• strengthen technical capacity for advance studies, research, and program development.

For para-professionals and interested laypersons, the illustrations and pictures coupled with the clarity and simplified discussions appropriately facilitate learning. Medical terminologies are clearly defined in the glossary and explained utilizing simple languages. To teachers, this CD-ROM contains enough materials including assessment tools to evaluate acquired knowledge and understanding.

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Users

This CD-ROM is an ideal educational tool for health professionals, para-professionals, researchers, project developers, health policy makers, teachers and students. Laypersons can also benefit from this CD-ROM, with the guidance of well-informed and experienced health staff.

User Friendliness

The format is user-friendly allowing users to manage and explore the subjects of their interest. For experienced health professionals, this method is engaging for it saves time and directs user to the subject of their interest.

Interactivity

The tutorial guides the audience through the discussions and illustrations, allowing some flexibility in navigating through the media at one’s own pace. The contents of each topic are outlined after the title page, allowing the user to choose where to start his/her lesson. In the discussion, keywords are underlined for further clarification; hence the user does not have to go through the previous slides or topics to recall certain subjects. The self-assessment tool in the last portion of the each topic provides the user a venue to check assimilation with the option to review the lesson when deemed necessary at the click of an icon. Towards the end of each topic, the discussions are summarized concisely and references are provided for further study.

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Distribution

The CD-ROM is accessible by order to CABI Publishing either through fax, email or online utilizing the company’s web site. Excluding taxes, the price ranges from £120/$145 for institutions, £30/$55 for students or individuals and £45/$80 for developing countries. Reduced rates for developing countries are also available at £20/$35.

This CD-ROM is well produced and serves a higher purpose of disseminating accurate and updated information in managing a disease of global significance. Unfortunately, the price is too expensive and therefore inhibitory for achieving a wider coverage and timely utilization of this material. Prices for this type of media should be lowered and widely distributed to students, individuals, and institutions, especially in developing countries where the disease burden is high.

Since this review was written the cost of the CD-ROM has been lowered to £5 for people in developing countries. See the How to Order section above.

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Sustainability

The dynamics of disease and its transmission in this age oof unprecedented globalization poses a great challenge to health professionals, institutions, and governments. The key elements to mitigate the spread of diseases are:

• a global approach to disease management utilizing lessons learned from interventions and research combined with a comprehensive approach to management
• readily available and affordable medicines, and
• health personnel

Under these circumstances, it is essential that lessons learned and advances made in the science of the disease are shared among stakeholders globally. It is highly recommended that further editions of this CD-ROM on Malaria be made available globally. It should be continually reviewed and updated on a regular basis at least yearly or if possible, whenever a new breakthrough in its management is available.

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Comment(s)

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1. Colin Lonergan
   (posted 27 July 2005 / 04:58:29 PM)
   
   The Tokyo Development Learing Center and ADBI successfully developed a methodology for using CD-ROMs as part of a blended learning package. The first sector we worked in was microfinance. Thanks to this positive review Malaria may be the second. So look out in the not too distant future for a blended learning Malaria training program using the interactive CD-ROM, web based support groups and written training materials. If the people who prepared this material would like to support the next phase of its use please let us know.