TIGEL: The first pilot project of Teleinterventional Gastroenterology in Croatia
Hrvoje Iveković,1 Roland Pulanić1, Dražen Pulanić1, Rajko Ostojić3, Tomislav Brkić1,
Silvija Čuković-Čavka1, Marina Premužić2, Željko Lepoglavec4, Boris Vucelić1
1
Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Zagreb University Hospital,
Croatia; 2 Department of Patophysiology, University of Zagreb School of Medicine,
Croatia; 3Ministry of Health, Republic of Croatia; 4Croatian Medical Chamber.
Project entitled 'Teleinterventional Gastroenterology (TIGEL)' has been designed at the
Center of Interventional Gastroenterology, Division of Gastroenterology, Department of
Medicine, Zagreb University Hospital, in Zagreb, Croatia. The aims of the project are:
1) to develop a system of continuous tele-education for specialists in gastroenterology;
and 2) to establish a service of tele-gastroenterology between clinical departments,
endoscopic and ultrasonography laboratories from different health institutions in
Croatia. TIGEL consists of the following components: 1) web site for continuous
evaluation of knowledge with a scoring system for physician license renewal; 2)
organization of video conferences and workshops on selected clinical issues; and 3)
developing a service of tele-gastroenterology within which a decision on most
appropriate therapeutic procedure in clinically ambiguous states would be jointly made
via tele-consultation between endoscopy and ultrasonography laboratories. The ultimate
objective of the project is to promote the quality of gastroenterologic service in Croatia
through an integrated educational – consultation approach to the physicians, which
would certainly prove to be highly cost-effective.
ABSTRACT NO: 0522
PASSSWORD: 73F6yY