Computer education of undergraduate medical students: a 2-year experience

Computer literacy will become a necessity for doctors in the near future, as computer applications for clinical medicine are gradually developed and successfully implemented in the medical environment. Two years ago we began an optional course on computer systems for first-year medical students, as part of the biostatistics course at the University of Lisbon. The results of this experience show that computer education should be well adapted to the needs of students, and educators must continuously evaluate the students' reaction and anticipate the need for sudden changes in the course structure, which are often necessary to capture students' attention.