Integrating learning and visualization technologies in orthopaedics establishing the Virtual Orthopaedic European University

Digital technologies offer a working environment for familiarisation with new surgical procedures and management of clinical case audit. To enhance access and control of these virtual workspaces an eXtensible Mark-up Language (XML) based interface has been developed. This links the educational environment of the Web based training (WBT) scheme to the clinical data collection from ongoing trials in Orthopaedics. The Virtual Orthopaedic European University (VOEU) infrastructure encompasses the normal working environment of engineers and clinicians using computer assisted surgery tools adopting dedicated interactive media. The XML based interface enables users to communicate using material mediated for their specific needs allowing adaptive media based upon user experience and knowledge base. This combines declarative (factual) content with feedback from a clinical (procedural) case-based training and evaluation environment. By using the XML interface, we were able to cater for the different user hardware and software resources, media content and language of presentation, and incorporate virtual environment simulations. By constructing a framework based upon already established standards, we anticipate the applicability to other surgical disciplines. This will enable the development of networking computer architectures to assist the assimilation of multiple sources and media.