Pattern of computer and internet use among medical students in ...

Two important points pertinent to MedicalEducation have been emphasized. First, thebiomedical knowledge base is expanding rapidlyand cannot therefore be taught in its entirety.Second, self-directed learning needs to betaught to acquire life-long learning skills (Monyet al., 2004).In India, postgraduates in medical institutionsare the first-level practitioners of education,patient care and research. Changes in medicineand IT (Information Technology) continue toinfluence their learning. The aims of this surveyare to estimate the current level of computer useand identify the training needs ofundergraduates and postgraduates.MethodsSettingThe present cross sectional study was carriedout in 4 medical colleges in Mangalore,Dakshina Kannada (South Kanara) district,Karnataka, India.SubjectsThe study population consisted of 500 medicalstudents (400 undergraduates, 100postgraduates / interns) from 4 different medicalcolleges in Mangalore, 100 students each from1 st MBBS, 2 nd MBBS, pre-final MBBS, finalMBBS & postgraduates / interns. Before thestart of the study the investigator visited themedical colleges and got the prior permissionfrom authorities concerned. Prior to administratingthe questionnaire, the class was addressedregarding the purpose and process of datacollection. Then, 25 students were selected fromeach year of MBBS from each of the fourmedical colleges using simple random sampling.After written informed consent from the studysubjects, the data was collected by personalinterviewing.Data was collected using a pre-tested semistructuredquestionnaire. The survey instrumentwas developed from the literature and informaldiscussion with experts, and was pre-tested ona group of 25 students, 5 students from eachbatch of MBBS and then modified accordingly.In the final analysis these 25 students wereexcluded.The study was approved by the InstitutionalEthical Committee of Kasturba Medical College,Mangalore. The data was analysed by usingSPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences)version 11. The Chi square test for associationwas used and P< 0.05 was considered asstatistically significant.ResultsDemographic profile of studentsDemographic profile of students is described inTable 1, which shows that maximum number ofstudents who participated in the study were ofthe age group 19-21 years constituting 173(34.6%). Among them 280 (56%) were males.Use of the computerStudent’s ability and pattern of use of thecomputer is presented in Table 2. It wasobserved from the study that 158 (79%) 1 st and2 nd year medical students and 68 (68%)postgraduates / interns had their own computer.The majority of postgraduates / interns (40%)use the computer for general information and 31(31%) for thesis and research work whilemajority of 1 st and 2 nd year medical students(69.5%) use it for entertainment and 7 (3.5%)use the computer for other purposes such asdownloading music, videos etc. This was foundto be statistically significant. The majority of 1 stand 2 nd year medical students (62%) usecomputer at home or hostel most of the time,while 78 (39%) pre-final and final year medicalstudents use it in cyber cafés and 19 (9.5%)students did not specify a location. It wasobserved that most of 1 st and 2 nd year medicalstudents (42.5%) prefer the internet for gettingrequired information while 69 (34.5%) pre-finaland final year medical students prefer textbooksand 54 (27%) were non-specific about thepreferred medium, with choice of mediumdepending on the type of information searchedfor.Use of the internetThe student’s use of internet services andresources is shown in Table 3. It was observedthat majority of 1 st and 2 nd year medical students(82%) first started using the internet at homebefore arriving at college while 36 (36%)postgraduates / interns started after arriving atcollege. Majority of postgraduates/ interns 54(58.1%) preferred internet over text booksbecause it accessed the latest knowledge and37 (22.2%) 1 st and 2 nd year medical studentspreferred it because of easy accessibility, while20 (12%) thought that they preferred the internetfor multiple reasons. When used for studypurpose, 171 (85.5%) pre-final and final yearmedical students use the internet for informationof recent advances. Majority of the students 98(98%) postgraduates / interns and 185 (92.5%)1 st and 2 nd year medical students agreed withthe fact that computer and internet use shouldbe encouraged in teaching institutions. 77 (77%)postgraduates/ interns were satisfied withcomputer assisted teaching while 40 (20%) 1 stand 2 nd year students were not. It was observedthat majority of 1 st and 2 nd year medical students101 (50.5%) use the internet most tocommunicate socially and 54 (27%) use it forentertainment, while 42 (21%) pre-final and finalyear medical students use it to engage in workfor classes and only 10 (5%) did not specify theuse. E-mail was the favorite communication toolused by postgraduates / interns (87%);whereas, 45 (22.5%) 1 st and 2 nd year medicalstudents used instant messaging. It wasobserved that majority (126) of pre final and finalyear medical students (63%), spend less than 3hours with the computer and going online in aSouth East Asian Journal of Medical EducationVol. 2 no 2, 2008- 19 -