Use of notebook computers for third-year surgical students

Area of Science:

• Medical Education Technology
• Surgical Clerkship Innovations
• Computer-Assisted Learning

Background:

• Computer-aided instruction is increasingly utilized in medical education.
• Notebook computers (NCs) offer a convenient platform for educational activities.
• This study hypothesized that NC use would enhance third-year surgical students' performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of notebook computer (NC) use on the educational performance of third-year surgical students.
• To assess student engagement with specific educational software during a surgery clerkship.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 25 student volunteers used NCs during the surgery clerkship, accessing software for self-examination, anatomy, word processing, e-mail, and MEDLINE searches.
• Data collected included hours of program use, number of history and physicals (H & Ps) performed and reviewed, and literature searches.
• NC users were interviewed about their experience and software ratings; comparisons were made with non-NC users.

Main Results:

• NC users demonstrated increased usage of self-examination and anatomy programs, performed more literature searches, and had a higher percentage of H & Ps reviewed by faculty compared to non-NC users (p < 0.05).
• The majority of NC users found the experience valuable and enjoyable, advocating for universal NC access during the clerkship.
• Student software preference ranked: electronic mail (e-mail) > self-examination > MEDLINE search > anatomy program.

Conclusions:

• Notebook computer integration positively impacted educational activity performance in the surgical clerkship.
• Development of specialized educational software for surgical students is recommended due to high student adoption and perceived value.