The American Heart Association Stroke Recognition Training Platform, developed in partnership with UNMC's iEXCEL Program and built by Saddle Creek Apps, represents an experiential learning approach to medical education.
Unlike traditional passive learning methods, this interactive video-based web-app engages learners by placing them directly into realistic emergency scenarios. Users follow the journey of a stroke patient from symptoms onset through emergency response, diagnosis, and treatment.
Manage a project that takes draft documents, external framework & resources, and combine it into an instructionally designed document and website.
This project required a collaboration between UNMC staff, external consultants, instructional designers, graphic artists, web developers, and key stakeholders.
The result is a static web app hosted on Azure and hard-copy documents that are distributed to the target audience.
Project Design UI/UX Image CDN Cloud Hosted Graphic Design Instructional Design
Angular Material Angular Bootstrap Azure Static Web Apps
Every design journey starts off with a wireframe of all the requested features and a plan for user flow through the web app.
The Project ECHO team had a tight deadline to deliver an easy-to-understand document and website. Both contain an EPIS framework, standards, regulatory requirements, case examples, and resources. This document required instructional design, graphic design, web development and original graphics.
This final build includes a static web app.
The AHA iEXCEL Academy represents a collaboration between world-class organizations committed to excellence in healthcare education and training.
The AHA is a leading force for advancing cardiovascular health and combating heart disease and stroke through research, education, and advocacy.
UNMC is a world-class academic medical center committed to creating a healthier future through innovative research, education, and patient care.
iEXCEL is a transformative program that uses advanced simulation and visualization technologies to enhance health professions education and training.
Our platform combines educational videos with interactive assessments to create an engaging learning experience that ensures knowledge retention and competency development.
Professional educational videos demonstrate proper techniques and procedures, allowing learners to observe and understand critical concepts before practice.
Interactive quizzes and assessments test comprehension and application of concepts, ensuring learners have mastered key skills before advancing.
Learners can progress through content at their own pace, revisiting challenging concepts as needed for mastery.
The platform adapts to individual learning needs, providing additional resources for areas requiring improvement.
Automatically tracks completion status and certification dates, with reminders for renewal requirements.
These key moments from the stroke response scenario demonstrate the interactive assessment points where healthcare professionals must apply their knowledge.
Initial Stroke Assessment
Identifying facial droop and left-sided weakness
RACE Score Evaluation
Determining stroke severity score of 9
CT Scan Interpretation
Confirming absence of hemorrhage
Thrombolytic Decision
Discussing benefits and risks with family
Care Transfer Protocol
Preparing patient for thrombolytic
Slide of
The interactive video pauses at these critical points, requiring learners to make time-sensitive decisions based on their assessment of the patient's condition.
We employed a modern technology stack to ensure performance, scalability, and maintainability.
Angular, Material Angular, Bootstrap
Node.js, Asp.Net, .Net
Bitmovin Player & Encoder, HLS/DASH
Azure, Hosted Image CDN, Blob Storage
The platform features realistic clinical scenarios including this comprehensive stroke response simulation that guides learners through the critical stages of stroke identification and management.
Throughout the simulation, learners face critical decision points where the video pauses and then the user must choose the appropriate next steps based on the clinical scenario. Their choices impact the simulated patient outcome and provide immediate feedback on their clinical reasoning.
Interactive questions test knowledge of stroke protocols, interpretation of diagnostic findings, and appropriate interventions.
Immediate feedback reinforces correct decisions and explains why alternative choices may lead to suboptimal outcomes.
Our platform leverages the proven advantages of interactive learning to create more effective educational experiences for healthcare professionals.
"Interactive learning that simulates real-world scenarios creates neurological connections that significantly outperform traditional instruction methods. When healthcare professionals engage with realistic patient scenarios through interactive media, retention rates increase by up to 75% compared to lecture-based learning alone."
Dr. James Stevenson
Director of Medical Education Innovation
By requiring decision-making and active participation, learners remain fully engaged throughout the training process, leading to higher completion rates and better knowledge retention.
Realistic clinical scenarios help healthcare professionals build confidence and competence by practicing critical decision-making in a safe, simulated environment before facing similar situations with real patients.
Real-time feedback on decisions helps learners understand the consequences of their choices and reinforces best practices in stroke assessment and treatment protocols.
Our application leverages modern web technologies to deliver an interactive and responsive learning experience.
Built using Angular 19 with Angular Material components, the application provides a clean, intuitive interface that works across devices. This modern framework enables complex interactions without sacrificing performance.
// Angular component for interactive assessment
Component({
selector: 'interactive-assessment',
templateUrl: './assessment.component.html'
})
export class AssessmentComponent {
// Video player integration with pause points
// Assessment logic and scoring
// Real-time feedback system
}
The heart of our interactive learning experience is powered by Bitmovin's advanced video player technology, which allows precise control over video playback and interactive elements.
// Bitmovin player with interactive assessment points
const playerConfig = {
key: "YOUR-BITMOVIN-KEY",
playback: {
muted: false,
autoplay: false
},
events: {
onTimeChanged: function(data) {
// Check for assessment pause points
checkInteractionPoints(data.time);
}
}
};
The AHA iEXCEL Academy platform delivers measurable improvements in stroke recognition and response capabilities.
Healthcare professionals demonstrated significantly higher retention of critical stroke assessment protocols compared to traditional training methods.
Improved speed of stroke recognition and appropriate protocol implementation among healthcare professionals who completed the training.
Widespread adoption across healthcare systems with positive feedback on the platform's effectiveness and ease of use.
By improving stroke recognition and response capabilities, this training platform contributes to better patient outcomes and potentially saves lives. Healthcare systems implementing this training have reported:
Reduced Door-to-Treatment Times
More efficient assessment and diagnosis processes have reduced the time from patient arrival to treatment initiation.
Increased Protocol Compliance
Higher adherence to evidence-based stroke protocols across healthcare teams, resulting in more consistent care delivery.
Enhanced Team Communication
Improved communication between emergency responders, emergency department staff, and stroke specialists during critical care situations.
"The interactive video training platform has transformed how we prepare our healthcare professionals for stroke emergencies. The realistic scenarios and interactive decision points create an immersive learning experience that traditional methods simply cannot match."
Healthcare Professional
Survey Response
Our commitment to excellence in healthcare education continues with planned enhancements to the platform.
We're developing new clinical scenarios to address different stroke presentations, complicating factors, and specialized populations, ensuring healthcare professionals are prepared for a wide range of real-world situations.
We're investing in next-generation technology to further improve the learning experience and make the platform even more effective and accessible.
The AHA iEXCEL Academy is committed to continuous improvement in stroke education and patient outcomes. By combining medical expertise, innovative technology, and evidence-based educational principles, we're creating a new standard for healthcare training.
For healthcare organizations interested in implementing this training platform or exploring other educational opportunities, please visit the website for more information and contact details.
Our platform leverages cutting-edge streaming technology to deliver high-quality educational content across all devices and bandwidth conditions.
The AHA iEXCEL Academy implements Bitmovin's industry-leading video encoding and player technology to provide a seamless educational experience.
// Bitmovin Player Configuration
const playerConfig = {
key: "YOUR-BITMOVIN-KEY",
analytics: {
key: "ANALYTICS-KEY",
videoId: "aha-resuscitation-module-1"
},
adaptation: {
preload: true
}
};
Our dedicated streaming media servers work in conjunction with CDN infrastructure to deliver low-latency, high-quality video content to healthcare professionals globally.
Optimized encoding reduces buffering and load times, ensuring smooth playback even in challenging network environments.
Content protection and DRM integration safeguard educational materials while maintaining HIPAA compliance for healthcare training.
Comprehensive analytics track viewer engagement, helping identify which content is most effective and where learners may need additional support.