Assessing Medical Students’, Residents’, and the Public’s Perceptions of the Uses of Personal Digital Assistants
Although medical schools are encouraging the use of personal digital assistants (PDAs), there have been few investigations of attitudes toward their use by students or residents and only one investigation of the public’s attitude toward their use by physicians. In 2006, the University of Louisville...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2008-01-01
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| Series: | Medical Education Online |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.med-ed-online.org/pdf/Res00258.pdf |
| _version_ | 1818993067648090112 |
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| author | Pradip D. Patel, MD Ruth B. Greenberg, PhD Karen Hughes Miller Mary B. Carter, MD, PhD Craig H. Ziegler, MS |
| author_facet | Pradip D. Patel, MD Ruth B. Greenberg, PhD Karen Hughes Miller Mary B. Carter, MD, PhD Craig H. Ziegler, MS |
| author_sort | Pradip D. Patel, MD |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Although medical schools are encouraging the use of personal digital assistants (PDAs), there have been few investigations of attitudes toward their use by students or residents and only one investigation of the public’s attitude toward their use by physicians. In 2006, the University of Louisville School of Medicine surveyed 121 third- and fourth-year medical students, 53 residents, and 51 members of the non-medical public about their attitudes toward PDAs. Students were using either the Palm i705 or the Dell Axim X50v; residents were using devices they selected themselves (referred to in the study generically as PDAs). Three survey instruments were designed to investigate attitudes of (a) third- and fourth-year medical students on clinical rotations, (b) Internal Medicine and Pediatrics residents, and (c) volunteer members of the public found in the waiting rooms of three university practice clinics. Both residents and medical students found their devices useful, with more residents (46.8%) than students (16.2%) (p<0.001) rating PDAs “very useful.” While students and residents generally agreed that PDAs improved the quality of their learning, residents’ responses were significantly higher (p<0.05) than students’. Residents also responded more positively than students that PDAs made them more effective as clinicians. Although members of the public were generally supportive of PDA use, they appeared to have some misconceptions about how and why physicians were using them. The next phase of research will be to refine the research questions and survey instruments in collaboration with another medical school. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-20T20:36:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d0a9c8c3bf724c3d8d59bd908e72162c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1087-2981 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-20T20:36:10Z |
| publishDate | 2008-01-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Medical Education Online |
| spelling | doaj.art-d0a9c8c3bf724c3d8d59bd908e72162c2022-12-21T19:27:13ZengTaylor & Francis GroupMedical Education Online1087-29812008-01-0113Assessing Medical Students’, Residents’, and the Public’s Perceptions of the Uses of Personal Digital AssistantsPradip D. Patel, MDRuth B. Greenberg, PhDKaren Hughes MillerMary B. Carter, MD, PhDCraig H. Ziegler, MSAlthough medical schools are encouraging the use of personal digital assistants (PDAs), there have been few investigations of attitudes toward their use by students or residents and only one investigation of the public’s attitude toward their use by physicians. In 2006, the University of Louisville School of Medicine surveyed 121 third- and fourth-year medical students, 53 residents, and 51 members of the non-medical public about their attitudes toward PDAs. Students were using either the Palm i705 or the Dell Axim X50v; residents were using devices they selected themselves (referred to in the study generically as PDAs). Three survey instruments were designed to investigate attitudes of (a) third- and fourth-year medical students on clinical rotations, (b) Internal Medicine and Pediatrics residents, and (c) volunteer members of the public found in the waiting rooms of three university practice clinics. Both residents and medical students found their devices useful, with more residents (46.8%) than students (16.2%) (p<0.001) rating PDAs “very useful.” While students and residents generally agreed that PDAs improved the quality of their learning, residents’ responses were significantly higher (p<0.05) than students’. Residents also responded more positively than students that PDAs made them more effective as clinicians. Although members of the public were generally supportive of PDA use, they appeared to have some misconceptions about how and why physicians were using them. The next phase of research will be to refine the research questions and survey instruments in collaboration with another medical school.http://www.med-ed-online.org/pdf/Res00258.pdfmedical studentsresidentspublic perceptionhandheld wireless devicespersonal digital assistantsPDAsstandardized patients |
| spellingShingle | Pradip D. Patel, MD Ruth B. Greenberg, PhD Karen Hughes Miller Mary B. Carter, MD, PhD Craig H. Ziegler, MS Assessing Medical Students’, Residents’, and the Public’s Perceptions of the Uses of Personal Digital Assistants Medical Education Online medical students residents public perception handheld wireless devices personal digital assistants PDAs standardized patients |
| title | Assessing Medical Students’, Residents’, and the Public’s Perceptions of the Uses of Personal Digital Assistants |
| title_full | Assessing Medical Students’, Residents’, and the Public’s Perceptions of the Uses of Personal Digital Assistants |
| title_fullStr | Assessing Medical Students’, Residents’, and the Public’s Perceptions of the Uses of Personal Digital Assistants |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessing Medical Students’, Residents’, and the Public’s Perceptions of the Uses of Personal Digital Assistants |
| title_short | Assessing Medical Students’, Residents’, and the Public’s Perceptions of the Uses of Personal Digital Assistants |
| title_sort | assessing medical students residents and the public s perceptions of the uses of personal digital assistants |
| topic | medical students residents public perception handheld wireless devices personal digital assistants PDAs standardized patients |
| url | http://www.med-ed-online.org/pdf/Res00258.pdf |
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