Abstract
A
Again, imagine if you lived during the time of acupuncture's advent. People were faced with many difficulties that affected their very basic survival efforts—no electricity, communication, running water, lights, telephones, furnaces to keep warm, or air conditioning during sweltering heat. Not to mention disease. Perhaps their transportation was horses or some other animals. Communication outside your community would be sparse.
Fast forward to now. A few weeks ago, I lectured to an acupuncture society in South Africa, and acupuncturists in New Zealand, Hungary, South America, and Turkey. Most interestingly, I never left my office in Alexandria, VA. In fact, I hardly dressed for the occasion. I wore a shirt and tie and a bathing suit! My office was air conditioned and very comfortable. My students could observe and hear my PowerPoint slide lectures and ask questions in real-time. All of us were on a video display and we could see each other (but people could not see my bathing suit). There was no problem handling an audience of up to ∼40–50 people. Questions could be asked in real-time with fast break-ins during the lectures. It was easy to give control to a student so that she/he could point at a diagram and ask questions. Audio and video components were practically crystal clear. A connection was maintained among the United States, New Zealand, Hungary, and South America for 12 hours without disconnection. The connection was maintained with Turkey for a 1-hour lecture without difficulty. In fact, I was able to record the entire weekend courses for students who had the need to repeat the lectures. Obtaining continuing medical education credits is easier and is becoming less expensive. In my opinion, Webinars are approaching the norm. The technology is excellent and has been around for many years now. This was quite a contrast, when compared to the ancient times in China, and I am sure the Chinese people felt as “modern” at the time as we do now.
Long-distance webinars and telemedicine may be very important electronic means of teaching acupuncture. Organizations may solicit speakers from anywhere in the world and make meetings attractive, exciting, and informative—and avoid paying hotel and transportation fees for guest lecturers. I have encountered busy people take time out of their private and university practices to lecture gratuitously to large groups from the convenience of the practitioners' offices. Health care providers are very receptive to obtaining knowledge to keep abreast of the latest developments in acupuncture. Many have remarked to me that workshops with a hands-on component are more conducive to learning. Yes it true, there is nothing like hands-on. However, for workshops that require only didactic lessons, why not do it online first and reduce the costs of the workshop? Being able to reach a wide geographical audience with a minimal output of resources is a gift to people who are hungry to learn especially in remote geographical locations.
I do believe that symposiums should introduce attendees to webinars and go through the mechanics of demonstrating how to access them on computers and tablets. This would be of great benefit to enhance, in particular, our interest in acupuncture educational programs. Many people are overwhelmed and intimidated by the idea operating computers and keeping up with the technology. Organizers fear that webinars would reduce attendance at symposiums. In any case, there are benefits for both. As one participant said to me: “What a great webinar, but I turned off my cam as I was wearing my PJs and my hair was a mess.”