Digital Learning in Motion: Exploring Mobile Device Use in Mexican Residents

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Digital Health
• Qualitative Research

Background:

• Medical residents utilize mobile devices for point-of-care learning and communication.
• Existing guidance on mobile device use often originates from high-income countries, overlooking unique challenges in low- and middle-income settings.
• Understanding mobile device usage is crucial for developing effective medical curricula and educational policies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the perceptions and utilization of mobile devices by Mexican medical residents for learning during clinical training.
• To identify specific challenges and opportunities associated with mobile device use in a Mexican medical education context.

Main Methods:

• An exploratory qualitative study employing self-regulated learning framework.
• Conducted with 16 residents across 5 specialties in Mexico City from February 2023 to January 2024.
• Data collected via semistructured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis with constant comparison and axial coding.

Main Results:

• Mobile devices are perceived as essential for learning and self-directed education among residents.
• Key themes identified include educational uses, professional ambiguity, social regulation, cognitive and emotional strain, privacy dilemmas, and infrastructure limitations.
• Despite perceived essentiality, mobile device use is constrained by contextual and institutional factors.

Conclusions:

• Residents primarily use mobile devices for clinical information retrieval, procedure review, and self-study.
• Significant constraints reported include faculty expectations, privacy concerns, digital inequity, infrastructure deficits, and educational tensions.
• Addressing these challenges is vital for optimizing mobile device integration in medical education within similar contexts.