Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016 Jul;75(7):190-5.

The Effect of Mobile Tablet Computer (iPad) Implementation on Graduate Medical Education at a Multi-specialty Residency Institution

John Dupaix  1 , John J Chen  1 , Maria Bj Chun  1 , Gary F Belcher  1 , Yongjun Cheng  1 , Robert Atkinson  1
Affiliations

The Effect of Mobile Tablet Computer (iPad) Implementation on Graduate Medical Education at a Multi-specialty Residency Institution

John Dupaix et al. Hawaii J Med Public Health. 2016 Jul.

Abstract

Use of mobile tablet computers (MTCs) in residency education has grown. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of MTCs on multiple specialties' residency training and identify MTC adoption impediments. To our knowledge, this current project is one of the first multispecialty studies of MTC implementation. A prospective cohort study was formulated. In June 2012 iPad2s were issued to all residents after completion of privacy/confidentiality agreements and a mandatory hard-copy pre-survey regarding four domains of usage (general, self-directed learning, clinical duties, and patient education). Residents who received iPads previously were excluded. A voluntary post-survey was conducted online in June 2013. One-hundred eighty-five subjects completed pre-survey and 107 completed post-survey (58% overall response rate). Eighty-six pre- and post-surveys were linked (response rate of 46%). There was a significant increase in residents accessing patient information/records and charting electronically (26.9% to 79.1%; P<.001), but a significant decrease in looking up drug and treatment reference material (97.0% to 82.1%; P=.0039). There was a significant increase in MTC use as a primary means of charting when conducting rounds (4.9% to 39.5%; P<.001) and a significant decrease in using paper charts (30.1% to 15.7%; P=.0073). There was also a significant increase in MTC use as a primary means for explaining a diagnosis (7.7% to 57.7%; P<.001). The use of MTC has an impact on how residents approach medical education, clinical practice, and patient education. The survey tool may be useful in collecting data on MTC use by other graduate medical education programs.

Keywords: graduate medical training; mobile tablet computers.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Research M. Taking the pulse: U.S. 2013. New York, New York: Manhattan Research; 2013.
    1. Horng S, Goss FR, Chen RS, Nathanson LA. Prospective pilot study of a tablet computer in an Emergency Department. International Journal of Medical Informatics. 2012 May;81(5):314–319. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Rao AS, Adam TJ, Gensinger R, Westra BL. Study of the factors that promoted the implementation of electronic medical record on iPads at two emergency departments. AMIA … Annual Symposium proceedings / AMIA Symposium. AMIA Symposium. 2012;2012:744–752. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Anderson C, Henner T, Burkey J. Tablet computers in support of rural and frontier clinical practice. International Journal of Medical Informatics. 2013 Nov;82(11):1046–1058. - PubMed
    1. Murphy AD, Belcher HJ. A novel method for sterile intra-operative iPad use. Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery: JPRAS. 2012 Mar;65(3):403–404. - PubMed

Publication types