Physiology, epidemiology and e-learning – the adventures of a nephrologist

Electrolyte and acid-base disorders are common clinical problems that may be life-threatening. This area is highly integrative and quantitative, and it is one that students and clinicians find particularly difficult to master. We have developed learning resources based on a teaching approach that rests on an understanding of whole-body physiology and uses authentic cases and storytelling as a vehicle for instruction. To reach a wider audience, we published a series of teaching articles in medical journals and also made use of e-learning.

The development of innovative e-learning materials is time-consuming and expensive, and this investment must be justified by the educational impact. I have focused on two critically important but underappreciated factors for ensuring successful e-learning: the management of cognitive load and the usability of the computer interface. We developed a multimedia e-learning resource, the Electrolyte Workshop, to provide instruction and the opportunity for simulated practice in managing electrolyte and acid-base disorders. A comprehensive usability evaluation was completed and this identified many serious usability problems that limited the potential educational impact. After a comprehensive revision, we compared the original with the optimised version in a randomised trial and found large improvements in usability. Our studies clearly indicate that the usability evaluation of e-learning resources is critical and provides an example of how clinician-teachers can improve the usability of the resources they develop.

My interest in information and communications technology led to my involvement in establishing a web-based national renal registry for South Africa, which provided the first official data on renal replacement therapy in nearly 20 years. I was then mandated by the African Association of Nephrology to establish the African Renal Registry, with Ghana, Burundi, Zambia, Kenya and Botswana as the first countries to join the project. This registry has the potential to make a huge impact on the health of African patients with kidney disease and will provide a data-rich platform for the training of African researchers in the areas of nephrology, public health, epidemiology and biostatistics.

WATCH THE INAUGURAL LECTURE HERE

Short biography

Razeen Davids is a professor in the Department of Medicine and head of the Division of Nephrology at Stellenbosch University and Tygerberg Hospital. In 2000–2001 he spent a year at the University of Toronto as an International Society of Nephrology (ISN) fellow with Professor Mitch Halperin, studying electrolyte and acid-base disorders. Since returning to Cape Town, he has been a host mentor to nephrology fellows from Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Zambia, Tanzania and Nepal. Apart from an ongoing interest in electrolyte and acid-base disorders, his interests include medical education, especially e-learning, and the epidemiology of chronic kidney disease. He has conducted teaching visits to Ghana and Nepal as an ISN Educational Ambassador and to St. George’s Hospital, University of London, as a visiting professor. He is co-chair of the South African Renal Registry, chairperson of the African Renal Registry and associate editor of the African Journal of Nephrology.