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Medical publisher Elsevier and video game developer Legacy Interactive have just announced the release of Top Doc, an iPhone app that features medical content and quizzes designed to let medical students, residents and junior faculty practice and improve their visual diagnosis skills.
“Top Doc was built upon a foundation of providing challenging, real-world questions illustrated by high quality medical images,” said Amber Tully, M.D., Assistant Professor of Family Medicine, Jefferson Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, and the product’s co-author. “With this platform, users are able to experience and react to realistic patient encounters that require quick, concise clinical responses.”
“We want users to feel as though they are facing and dealing with relevant scenarios within a virtual medical clinic,” added James Studdiford, M.D., FACP, Associate Professor Department of Family and Community Medicine, Jefferson Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, and the product’s lead author.
Top Doc combines in-depth content with quizzes composed of more than 600 questions and answers developed for levels ranging from novice to expert. Users play against a timer as they try to determine the correct diagnosis by viewing actual photographs depicting a condition or abnormality on the body. At the conclusion of each round, players’ performances are evaluated and given a grade which they can automatically post to their Facebook account. For players preferring to study the material in a non-competitive manner, Top Doc’s review mode provides the information in a flashcard format.
“As medicine continues to move into the digital space, products like Top Doc will be excellent resources for medical education,” said Randy Charles, Managing Director, Global Clinical Reference for Elsevier. “By offering the program as an iPhone app, Top Doc provides mobile access to medical students and practitioners who value on-the-go learning opportunities and high quality technology capabilities.”
Top Doc is now available for purchase in the iTunes App store, and retails for $14.99. Go to http://www.topdocgame.com for more information and an online demo.
