A personalized smartphone app for a surgery residency: Is it useful?

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Health Informatics
• Clinical Workflow Optimization

Background:

• Efficient access to schedules, protocols, and learning materials is crucial in medical training.
• Smartphones are the primary tool for information retrieval in modern healthcare settings.
• The study aimed to evaluate the impact of a smartphone application on residency workflow and education.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effect of a dedicated smartphone application on the daily workflow of residents.
• To determine how the application influences the educational experience and resource accessibility for residents.
• To quantify improvements in information access and task management facilitated by the app.

Main Methods:

• Development of a specialized smartphone application for medical residents.
• Pre- and post-implementation surveys utilizing Likert scales to gather user feedback.
• Statistical analysis using Student's t-test to compare outcomes before and after app deployment.

Main Results:

• Faculty awareness of on-call residents increased significantly post-implementation (p < 0.01).
• Required internet searches for management algorithms were eliminated (p < 0.05).
• Printed call schedules became obsolete, and hospital operator calls decreased substantially for residents and faculty (p < 0.01).

Conclusions:

• Smartphone applications effectively consolidate resources and streamline workflow in residency programs.
• The implemented app demonstrated significant benefits for resident training and overall patient care.
• Digital solutions are vital for enhancing efficiency and accessibility in medical education.