Pharmacy students' preference for using mobile devices in a clinical setting for practice-related tasks

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy education
• Digital health tools
• Mobile technology in healthcare

Background:

• Mobile devices are increasingly prevalent in professional settings.
• Understanding student adoption and preference for these tools is crucial for pharmacy practice integration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate pharmacy students' ownership, usage patterns, and preferences for mobile devices in a practical pharmacy setting.
• To compare student preferences for iPhone, iPad mini, and iPad before and after hands-on use for pharmacy tasks.

Main Methods:

• Survey of 81 pharmacy students on demographics and mobile device ownership.
• Pre- and post-task ranking of iPhone, iPad mini, and iPad for pharmacy practice use.
• Assessment of mobile device usage frequency in pharmacy practice settings.

Main Results:

• iPhone was the most owned (59.3%) and used (46.9%) device.
• iPad mini, though least owned (18.5%), was the most preferred device post-task (70.4%).
• Approximately 70% of students used mobile devices weekly in practice.

Conclusions:

• Pharmacy students demonstrate high mobile device utilization in practice.
• Despite lower ownership, the iPad mini emerged as the preferred device for pharmacy practice tasks.
• Practical experience significantly influences student preference for mobile devices in pharmacy.