Clinical and academic uses of smartphones among medical residents

• Published in: Digital medicine Vol. 1; no. 1; pp. 34 - 38
• Main Authors: Haseeb, Muhammad, Altaf, Mir, Kour, Aneet, Ahmed, Firdous, Jahan, Alamgir, Bijyal, Arpan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer - Medknow Publications 01.07.2015
• Subjects: iPhone; smartphone; Android; apps; resident
• ISSN: 2226-8561; 2398-6352; 2226-8561
• DOI: 10.4103/2226-8561.166369

Background and Objective: A smartphone is a cellular phone with an integrated computer that enables it to perform a wide array of tasks in addition to its primary purpose. Technological growth has been paralleled by a similar rise in the capabilities of modern day smartphones. And they have found their way into medical education as well as practice. iOS and Android based phones constitute the bulk of the smartphones. Together with their associated applications (apps), these devices have become an indispensable tool for the medical resident and practicing physician. The aim of this study is to make an objective assessment of the status of smartphones as a learning aid and practice tool among medical residents. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted on post-graduate trainees in the largest teaching hospital in Jammu province. The residents were approached in the hospital and requested to fill a pre-formulated questionnaire. 90 residents from different specialities were approached over a period of seven days. Results: 80% of the interviewees said they possessed a smartphone. The percentage was lower in first year trainees and highest in third year trainees. Android and iOS based phones were the devices most commonly used. 90% of those with smartphones said they used it for clinical or academic purposes in the hospital. Conclusion: A fairly large percentage of medical residents own smartphones. Most of them use these for clinical and academic purposes. Online resources and pre-installed apps are the two common resources accessed. There is a need for improving the credibility of online resources, and development of more medical apps for smartphones.