Use of internet by medical students in their basic and clinical skills

The potential of using internet for medical education is widely accepted in enhancing their knowledge, skill and attitude. To assess the ability, accessibility and attitudes of medical students about use of information technology for e-learning in improving their basic and clinical skills. A qualitative descriptive study carried out at Gynae Unit II and ENT Unit I, Allama Iqbal Medical College/Jinnah Hospital, Lahore from January 2007 to April 2007. One hundred and fifty medical students each from last three years of MBBS were included in the study. A self-administered questionnaire was applied to them which included their demographic details and perceived level of IT [information technology] ability and accessibility. Four hundred fifty undergraduate students participated in the survey. There were 49% females and 51% males with similar average age. Among students 88.5% were using internet for educational purposes either at home or in college computer lab. However, the average use per week was 3.4 hours. Google, Yahoo and Ask were three most commonly used search engines. Majority [90%] of the students said that they are not getting input from their teachers on e-medicine should be the part of education from first year onwards. Undergraduate medical students have a reasonable access and perception for internet based learning and this should become a part of medical curriculum from the first year of MBBS. Medical teachers should facilitate the use of internet as an important tool of learning. Internet facilities should made widely available in the medical colleges to help them in enhancing their skills