Electronic textbooks as a professional resource after dental school

Area of Science:

• Dental Education
• Digital Health Literacy
• Information Science

Background:

• Previous studies indicated dental students' negative attitudes towards electronic textbooks.
• The VitalSource Bookshelf is a digital library of dental textbooks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess if recent dental graduates' attitudes toward the VitalSource Bookshelf changed compared to dental students.
• To determine the usability and preference of digital textbooks among practicing dentists.

Main Methods:

• A survey was distributed to 119 alumni from the classes of 2009 and 2010 from a U.S. dental school.
• Forty-seven alumni (39.5%) completed the questionnaire regarding their use and opinions of the VitalSource Bookshelf.
• Data collected included usage frequency, preferred information sources, and technical challenges encountered.

Main Results:

• Only 48.3% of respondents used the e-textbooks often or sometimes.
• Many dentists preferred print books, other online sources, or reported technical difficulties, including installation problems.
• Colleagues (37.8%), the Internet (20%), and hardcopy books (17.8%) were preferred information sources over the Bookshelf.

Conclusions:

• Dentists, mirroring dental students' sentiments, generally dislike reading electronic textbooks.
• Technical issues and a preference for traditional resources hinder the adoption of digital textbook platforms in dental practice.
• Despite search functionality, the VitalSource Bookshelf is not a preferred source for professional dental information for most recent graduates.