Pediatric cardiology teaching is commonly available during teaching of Pediatrics. This includes both theoretical teaching as well as practical (clinical) bedside teaching, with variable time deviated for this purpose, depending on the curriculum of each Institution. Basic principles of physical findings (auscultatory, etc) of valvular heart disease and echocardiography (including anatomic and functional evaluation of heart) are also available to students during teaching of Cardiology. 

The IP aims to provide a novel approach in medical teaching: whereas traditional teaching is divided into theoretical lectures and traditional bedside clinical teaching, the IP course combines both (theoretical lectures and practical clinical exercise) by replacing bedside teaching with multimedia-based "virtual" evaluation of selected patients. Specifically off line reproduction of cardiac sounds for teaching purposes is novel approach of cardiac auscultation teaching, allowing for concomitant listening by teacher and student, not yet established or routinely used into medical teaching.

Furthermore, the IP teaching program provides students a natural stepwise diagnostic approach, very similar to their future daily praxis and fundamental for the correct medical diagnosis: from "sound" to "ultrasound", the title of the IP course emphasizes the paramount importance of correct interpretation of clinical findings before referring patients to further diagnostic tests. Finally, students are provided basic knowledge of modern diagnostic tests namely echocardiography and its indications, a non-invasive, safe, readily available imaging tool which allows for the final diagnosis of almost all cases of congenital heart disease.

In summary the IP course, although restricted into the topic of pediatric cardiology, provides a novel approach in medical teaching overall, by combining theoretical and clinical teaching, replacing bedside teaching by "virtual" evaluation of patients, using modern multimedia means in an interactive teaching environment, still though emphasizing the diachronic principle of correct medical diagnosis, namely the stepwise approach from history and physical evaluation to appropriate use of diagnostic tests.

IP Objectives: To establish and validate a multimedia-based pediatric cardiology teaching course, with a stepwise presentation of basic principles of clinical evaluation (sound: "virtual" cardiac auscultation - digital phonocardiography) up to the final diagnostic tools (ultrasound: echocardiographic principles and associated findings). The teaching course is based on: a) interactive teaching b) "virtual" evaluation of pediatric cardiology cases based on high quality reproduction of cardiac sounds c) detailed presentation of associated echocardiographic findings d) brief presentation of the natural course, genetic background, treatment options following the initial clinical (sound) detection and final diagnosis (ultrasound).

Target groups:  Undergraduate medical students and graduate doctors having basic knowledge of anatomy, embryology and physiology and further interest in the field of pediatric cardiology.  Participant Professors with expertise in the field of pediatric cardiology, sound and ultrasound physics.

Main activities: Interactive, multimedia based teaching courses, using a "virtual" environment for reproduction of "sound" (auscultation) along with detailed presentation of associated "ultrasound" (echocardiographic findings). Virtual pediatric cardiac auscultation is based on a) high quality reproduction of digital phonocardiograms, corresponding to a wide spectrum of congenital heart disease associated auscultatory findings and innocent murmurs b) enhancement of the auscultatory findings through post-processing of recordings (including sound high and low pass filtering, repeated reproduction of selected intervals, graphic display of sound spectrograms against electrocardiogram tracking line etc). Special emphasis will be given in the presentation of echocardiography as a widely available diagnostic tool in pediatric cardiology, while representative echocardiographic images of selected cases will be presented throughout the course. The main activities will be focused on clinical (sound) and non-invasive diagnosis (ultrasound) but further information regarding genetic background of congenital heart disease, common forms of acquired heart disease in childhood and treatment options (catheter interventions, surgical approaches) will be also addressed.

1) Validation of multimedia based "virtual" pediatric cardiology teaching approach by participant students (based on achievement of specific clinical skills) and teachers

2)  Exchange of experiences in pediatric cardiology teaching among participant higher academic Institutions (HAIs)

3) Possible incorporation of teaching practices of IP course in the curriculum of participant Institutions

4) Future academic co-operations in the wider field of pediatric cardiology among participant HAIs