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2020 Month : January Volume : 9 Issue : 1 Page : 10-13,

Smartphones- Help or Hindrance in Advancing Medical/Dental Education.

Savita Bansal1, Deepthy C. Sahadevan2, Shakila Mahesh3, Prachi Saffar Aneja4, Manish Aneja5

Corresponding Author:
Dr. Prachi Saffar Aneja,
Aster 11/1, Vatika City,
Sector 49, Gurugram-122018,
Haryana, India.
E-mail: dranejaprachi@gmail.com

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND

Smartphone - a hand-held minicomputer housing in itself innumerable applications (Apps) from as simple as a clock to more complex apps like mobile banking etc. has completely revolutionized the very existence of human beings. There are myriads of apps available to the medical fraternity, which aids in not only practicing medicine but learning it too. The major advantage is the convenience it provides in accessing and organizing the data at a speed which is manually inconceivable. But as every coin has two sides, this tool like any other has disadvantages too. Distraction, dependence and reliability of information are some to name a few. The present survey was undertaken as a preliminary step to discern the stance of medical and dental students towards smartphone and its integration as an aid to promote teaching and learning.

METHODS

A questionnaire based cross sectional study was conducted in SGT University and Manav Rachna Dental College. A total of 750 MBBS and BDS students participated in the study.

RESULTS

The study revealed that smartphones have permeated the medical education system, but their use is still limited to sharing timetables, assignment and staying connected with teachers and fellow students. Portability, ease of accessing data, time management, cost effectiveness and respite from carrying heavy books everywhere have endeared the device to students. But a majority of them (83%) still feel more comfortable in learning texts from conventional textbooks.

CONCLUSIONS

Though the merits of incorporating smartphones in our education system definitely outnumber the demerits, one cannot ignore the challenges facing us today. Addressing the limitations, especially devising a method to keep the smartphones in the campus but out of our lectures is of utmost importance.

KEY WORDS

Smartphones, Attitude, Education, Medical, Dental, Students

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