Purpose
Designed primarily for radiologists, physicians, and medical imaging professionals to assist in interpreting radiological scans, e-Anatomy may also benefit medical students, nurses, and other professionals seeking a professional understanding of human anatomy. To use all of its features effectively, a medical background is strongly recommended. However, anyone with a basic understanding of computer applications can appreciate how it works. This makes it easy for a librarian to show a radiologist how to use it.
General description
Now in its third release, e-Anatomy is an anatomical database providing more than 3,000 images of the human body. It provides cross-sectional, gross, and radiological anatomy derived from various types of medical imaging, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) scans. Not only does this tool cover most anatomical structures, but also each module provides comprehensive details by dividing the image into layers and providing labels for each body part and color coordinating areas of interest to the user. This interface also offers the user 5 languages, which can be changed at any time (reloading an image or refreshing the page is not required).
When a module is selected, an interface displaying the anatomical structure opens on a new page. The interface works best if it is maximized to take up the entire screen, using the icon in the upper right-hand corner. The interface has three drop-down menus (Anatomical Structures, Planes, and Languages) allowing users to easily manipulate and modify images with different tools. The Planes menu, for example, allows an image to be viewed from the axial, sagittal, or coronal planes. Many modules also incorporate a “3D” view. For study purposes, the quiz mode enables an image to be viewed with no labels, a feature that is especially useful for medical students.
Technological, accessibility, and usability issues
The only drawback to the resource is the speed at which certain pages load. Because many of the images are provided at such high resolution, even with a high-speed Internet connection, sometimes a delay in loading time results. Once the module loads, however, all of the features work seamlessly and without delay.
Additional features
Other features include e-Courses and Clinical Cases, which provide an array of interactive content, including multiple-choice questions, practice exams, and workshops specifically designed for medical students. All of these features make use of the imaging interface so that the user sees the scan while answering a question or reacting to a hypothetical scenario. The e-Anatomy home page offers different entry points (or quick links) to access these features.
E-Anatomy for the iPhone offers portability and many of the same features as the online version: Users can find any anatomical structure by using the search feature, zoom in and out of images, or turn labels on or off with the tap of a finger. Individual users can download the “lite” version for a one-time fee of $3.99. Complete pricing details and video demonstrations of e-Anatomy for the iPhone can be found at http://www.imaios.com/en/iPhone/.
Similar products
Other electronic anatomy resources include Primal Pictures <http://www.primalpictures.com> and Anatomy and Physiology Revealed <http://www.mhhe.com/biosci2/anatomyrevealed/>. Both offer a variety of animations and interactive content. Other reputable anatomy tools are freely available on the web, including DirectAnatomy <http://www.directanatomy.com> and the Atlas of Anatomy <http://www.atlasofanatomy.com>. Of course, the Internet offers handfuls of other free anatomy websites, although many of these are blanketed with advertisements.
Conclusion
This product has been recommended by some of the leading medical imaging professionals, and it has institutional subscribers around the world. Additional modules are being created, and existing ones are updated on a regular basis. Think of e-Anatomy as another form of outreach to promote library services to your clients. It will not only make your hospital departments or medical students more aware of the library and the services it offers, but it will also offer teaching and learning opportunities.