UroSurf--an interactive learning program on urine diagnostics

The examination of the urine is of great significance in medical diagnostics. This can be seen in the high number of ordered urin analyses. Accordingly, the interpretation of urinalysis is part of the Swiss Catalogue of Learning Objectives of Undergraduate Medical Training as well as the licencing examinations in Internal Medicine. Due to its simple handling, its low costs and the many parameters measured, the chemical urinalysis with a stix is an ideal screening test. In contrast to stix tests, the interpretation of urine sediments is far from being trivial. The examiners must be accordingly trained in order to recognize the typical abnormalities of the urine sediment. Learning how to interpret microscopic findings is tedious and time-consuming if technical aids such as a microscope-mounted video camera are lacking. An additional handicap is that urine sediments can not be kept for a long time as it is the case with blood smears. Therefore an interactive learning program such as UroSurf offers many possibilities to lessen these problems. UroSurf is a web-based learning program consisting of three modules. In the module "Urindiagnostik", urine diagnostics are presented in a textbook like style. In the module "Klinische Fallbeispiele" (clinical case samples), urine diagnostics are put into a clinical context. In the module "Urinsediment-Bilder" (images), learners can train and assess their skills in interpreting urine sediments.