INTRODUCTION

This program is concerned with haemostasis and is designed to teach the physiology, the principles of the laboratory assessment, and the use of the haemostatic profile in the diagnosis of clinical disorders of haemostasis and thrombosis.

It is divided into several sections. In TUTORIALS a combination of text and graphics is used to teach the physiology of platelet plug formation, the pathways involved in coagulation and the anti-clotting mechanisms including thrombolysis.

METHODS uses animated graphics and text to describe the principles of the major laboratory tests used in assessing haemostatic function and the production of a haemostatic profile: Bleeding Time Protrombin Time; Thrombin Time; Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time(APTT).

In CLINICAL CASES the use of the haemostatic profile in diagnosis is taught using an interactive problem-solving approach which requires students to use clinical case history data to make a diagnosis.