Acid-Base Online Tutorial
Review by the "American Thoracic Society"
Summary: Overall, this is the most basic of all our listed websites, but the simplicity may be its actual strength. The cases are well-presented and explained.
The most accessible site on this list is aimed at medical students and internal medicine residents, and as such, is a great resource for teaching. The tutorial stems from an interesting collaboration between a fourth year medical student and his faculty mentor at the University of Connecticut. It explains the mechanisms of acid-base homeostasis with easy-to-follow diagrams and then finishes with eight well-explained clinical cases that will make a great transition to the chalkboard.
Authority: This site was authored by the collaborative efforts of a fourth year medical student, Timur Graham, and his faculty adviser, Dr. Steven Angus. Neither has any PubMed hit for publications relating to acid-base physiology, but Dr. Angus is part of a busy clinical practice as a hospitalist and internist at the University of Connecticut. Rating: 3
Currency: The discussion is about well-established topics, and as such, this website reflects current thinking about these subjects. It was created this year, and has a section labeled “pearls” (which has yet to be completed), promising more content to come. Rating: 5
Accuracy: The findings of the website are consistent with current thinking about acid-base physiology. There are no footnotes or references for their assertions, but their assertions are roughly the same as other sites being reviewed. Rating: 3
Navigation & Readability: The website is user-friendly. The front page linked above takes you through the entire tutorial and then the cases with just the press of the next button. Rating: 4
Utility: The site is a basic overview that may be the best starting off point for someone unfamiliar with acid-base concepts. Rating: 4