Exploring smartphone use and its applicability in academic training of medical students in Latin America: a multicenter cross-sectional study
Abstract Background Mobile phones are essential tools worldwide, including for the academic training of medical students. However, their role in Latin America (LATAM) remains underexplored. This study aimed to evaluate cell phone use and its applicability in the academic training of medical students...
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BMC
2024-11-01
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| Series: | BMC Medical Education |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-06334-w |
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| author | Juan S. Izquierdo-Condoy Marlon Arias-Intriago H. A. Nati-Castillo R. Gollini-Mihalopoulos C. D. Cardozo-Espínola Valentina Loaiza-Guevara Widad Dalel-Gómez Juan Villamil Isaac A. Suárez-Sangucho Estefania Morales-Lapo Andrea Tello-De-la-Torre Cougar Hall Esteba Ortiz-Prado |
| author_facet | Juan S. Izquierdo-Condoy Marlon Arias-Intriago H. A. Nati-Castillo R. Gollini-Mihalopoulos C. D. Cardozo-Espínola Valentina Loaiza-Guevara Widad Dalel-Gómez Juan Villamil Isaac A. Suárez-Sangucho Estefania Morales-Lapo Andrea Tello-De-la-Torre Cougar Hall Esteba Ortiz-Prado |
| author_sort | Juan S. Izquierdo-Condoy |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Mobile phones are essential tools worldwide, including for the academic training of medical students. However, their role in Latin America (LATAM) remains underexplored. This study aimed to evaluate cell phone use and its applicability in the academic training of medical students in LATAM. Methods A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among undergraduate medical students from seven Latin American countries between December 2023 and February 2024. The study assessed academic smartphone use across five types of applications: medical apps, knowledge updating apps, academic podcast apps, video streaming apps, and social media apps. Results A total of 1,590 medical students participated, with 63.6% being women, 21.2% third-year students, and 55.0% from private universities. Nearly all participants (98.4%) owned a mobile phone, and 88.2% used them for academic purposes. The most common academic use was for viewing academic content videos (82.9%). A significant association was found between academic cell phone use and progression through medical studies, with fifth-year students being the most likely to use their phones for academic purposes (OR = 4.517, 95% CI = 1.843–11.075). Students in the clinical stage of education were also more likely to rely on smart phones for academic purposes (OR = 2.090, 95% CI = 1.500–2.911). Conversely, public university students were less likely to use their phones for academic purposes compared to private university students (OR = 0.714, 95% CI = 0.522–0.977). Additionally, students who perceived that their academic preparation would be more difficult without a cell phone were more likely to use it for academic purposes (OR = 2.157, 95% CI = 1.463–3.181). Conclusions These results suggest the importance of incorporating smartphones into the educational frameworks of medical schools and universities in Latin America, with a particular emphasis on academic video content applications, which already capture the attention and preference of medical students. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6ddeb12cd39e4c88b96b65c47de3a504 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1472-6920 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
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| series | BMC Medical Education |
| spelling | doaj-art-6ddeb12cd39e4c88b96b65c47de3a5042024-12-01T12:31:20ZengBMCBMC Medical Education1472-69202024-11-0124111210.1186/s12909-024-06334-wExploring smartphone use and its applicability in academic training of medical students in Latin America: a multicenter cross-sectional studyJuan S. Izquierdo-Condoy0Marlon Arias-Intriago1H. A. Nati-Castillo2R. Gollini-Mihalopoulos3C. D. Cardozo-Espínola4Valentina Loaiza-Guevara5Widad Dalel-Gómez6Juan Villamil7Isaac A. Suárez-Sangucho8Estefania Morales-Lapo9Andrea Tello-De-la-Torre10Cougar Hall11Esteba Ortiz-Prado12One Health Research Group, Universidad de las AmericasOne Health Research Group, Universidad de las AmericasInterinstitutional Internal Medicine Group 1 (GIMI 1), Department of Internal Medicine, Universidad LibreFacultad de Medicina, Universidad de PanamáPostgrado de Medicina Interna, Universidad Católica Nuestra Señora de la AsunciónFacultad de Medicina, Fundación Universitaria Autónoma de las AméricasFacultad de Medicina, Fundación Universitaria Autónoma de las AméricasFacultad de Medicina, Fundación Universitaria Autónoma de las AméricasOne Health Research Group, Universidad de las AmericasOne Health Research Group, Universidad de las AmericasOne Health Research Group, Universidad de las AmericasPublic Health Department, Brigham Young UniversityOne Health Research Group, Universidad de las AmericasAbstract Background Mobile phones are essential tools worldwide, including for the academic training of medical students. However, their role in Latin America (LATAM) remains underexplored. This study aimed to evaluate cell phone use and its applicability in the academic training of medical students in LATAM. Methods A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among undergraduate medical students from seven Latin American countries between December 2023 and February 2024. The study assessed academic smartphone use across five types of applications: medical apps, knowledge updating apps, academic podcast apps, video streaming apps, and social media apps. Results A total of 1,590 medical students participated, with 63.6% being women, 21.2% third-year students, and 55.0% from private universities. Nearly all participants (98.4%) owned a mobile phone, and 88.2% used them for academic purposes. The most common academic use was for viewing academic content videos (82.9%). A significant association was found between academic cell phone use and progression through medical studies, with fifth-year students being the most likely to use their phones for academic purposes (OR = 4.517, 95% CI = 1.843–11.075). Students in the clinical stage of education were also more likely to rely on smart phones for academic purposes (OR = 2.090, 95% CI = 1.500–2.911). Conversely, public university students were less likely to use their phones for academic purposes compared to private university students (OR = 0.714, 95% CI = 0.522–0.977). Additionally, students who perceived that their academic preparation would be more difficult without a cell phone were more likely to use it for academic purposes (OR = 2.157, 95% CI = 1.463–3.181). Conclusions These results suggest the importance of incorporating smartphones into the educational frameworks of medical schools and universities in Latin America, with a particular emphasis on academic video content applications, which already capture the attention and preference of medical students.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-06334-wCell phoneSmart phoneApplicationsMedical studentsAcademic useLatin America |
| spellingShingle | Juan S. Izquierdo-Condoy Marlon Arias-Intriago H. A. Nati-Castillo R. Gollini-Mihalopoulos C. D. Cardozo-Espínola Valentina Loaiza-Guevara Widad Dalel-Gómez Juan Villamil Isaac A. Suárez-Sangucho Estefania Morales-Lapo Andrea Tello-De-la-Torre Cougar Hall Esteba Ortiz-Prado Exploring smartphone use and its applicability in academic training of medical students in Latin America: a multicenter cross-sectional study BMC Medical Education Cell phone Smart phone Applications Medical students Academic use Latin America |
| title | Exploring smartphone use and its applicability in academic training of medical students in Latin America: a multicenter cross-sectional study |
| title_full | Exploring smartphone use and its applicability in academic training of medical students in Latin America: a multicenter cross-sectional study |
| title_fullStr | Exploring smartphone use and its applicability in academic training of medical students in Latin America: a multicenter cross-sectional study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring smartphone use and its applicability in academic training of medical students in Latin America: a multicenter cross-sectional study |
| title_short | Exploring smartphone use and its applicability in academic training of medical students in Latin America: a multicenter cross-sectional study |
| title_sort | exploring smartphone use and its applicability in academic training of medical students in latin america a multicenter cross sectional study |
| topic | Cell phone Smart phone Applications Medical students Academic use Latin America |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-06334-w |
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