Development of multimedia computer applications for clinical pharmacy training

The development of multimedia computer simulations in clinical pharmacy education enables students to be exposed to clinical patient management earlier in the education process and allows for the training of large numbers of students outside of conventional clinical practice sites. This manuscript describes what multimedia is and how this technology can be applied to clinical pharmacy training. It also discusses the general process for developing multimedia case presentations including hardware and software requirements. Finally, an example of a multimedia case we developed using Multimedia Toolbook(R) for training pharmacy students in the management of atrial fibrillation is presented. The ease of use of development software, the affordability of the required computer hardware, and the availability of extensive multimedia files on the Internet make it practical for many pharmacy educators to develop clinical multimedia simulations.