Affiliations: [a] Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA | [b] Orthopedic Surgery, Greenville Memorial Hospital System, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Greenville, SC, USA | [c] Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA | [d] Department of Emergency Medicine, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA | [e] Detroit Receiving Hospital, Detroit, MI, USA
Correspondence:
[*]
Corresponding author: Martin A. Reznek, MD, MBA Detroit Receiving Hospital, 4201 St. Antoine Blvd., Suite 9C.30, Detroit, MI 48201-2153, USA. Tel.: +1 313 745 3551; Fax: +1 313 745 7844, E-mail: mreznek@dmc.org.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to characterize medical students' learning behaviors and preferences related to information technology (IT) and assess their educational needs related to advances in IT and simulation in order to optimize curriculum and educational space design. An online survey was administered to all medical students enrolled in graduate medical education at Emory University School of Medicine. The survey assessed subjects' demographic data, current technology usage, and experiences and preferences related to: informatics, facilities, online learning, staff support and simulation. The response rate was 49% (214 of 440). 95% of respondents reported computer use of greater than 6 hours per week, and 75% reported owning and regularly using a laptop computer. Despite regularly seeking computer-based learning modalities, 55% of students reported being underprepared for the application of clinical informatics in their practice. 49% of students prefer group learning and prioritize large group learning areas with large desks. Health science libraries designed to address the preferences for portable technology and group learning may encourage the incorporation of the library into the medical student learning experience, allowing librarians to assume formal and informal roles in the curriculum as students learn to search and apply information resources.
Keywords: Medical education, curriculum reform, information technology, simulation, health science libraries, student survey, computers in medical education
