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Assessing and enhancing medical students' computer skills: a two-year experience
1University of Illinois at Chicago, Library of the Health Sciences, Rockford 61107, USA.
Bulletin of the Medical Library Association
|February 6, 1999
Summary
Medical students possess strong word processing skills but need improvement in searching medical literature and using instructional software. Most students expect to enhance computer proficiency during medical school.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Health Informatics
Background:
- The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) recommended integrating information sciences into medical curricula in 1984.
- This study addresses the need to understand current computer proficiency among medical students.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess computer skills, comfort levels, and learning expectations of medical students.
- To inform the integration of computer applications into the medical curriculum.
Main Methods:
- A survey was administered to 208 medical students at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Rockford campus, over two years.
- Data collection involved email and print surveys, achieving a 60% response rate.
Main Results:
- Most students demonstrated proficiency in email and word processing.
- A significant number lacked skills in medical literature searching and computer-assisted instruction.
- 80% of students anticipated improving their computer skills during medical school.
Conclusions:
- Findings highlight a gap in essential digital literacy for medical students.
- Results support increased efforts to integrate computer skills training and communication tools into medical education.