PDA Usage in Medical Education

Personal digital assistants (PDAs) are handheld computers that were originally designed as personal organizers, but became much more versatile over the years. They've been used for about a decade in clinical settings.

According to the Web site of the American Medical Student Association (AMSA), "possessing a PDA during the clinical years is now regarded to be nearly as essential as owning a stethoscope." The AMSA site recommends that medical students obtain a PDA before the third year of medical school.

A recent study published in Family Medicine (Fam Med 2007;39(6):419-24.), showed that over 87% of all the residents and faculty surveyed use a PDA. The majority of residents began using PDAs in medical school and usage was highest in years three and four.

PIER on PDA Usage at Yale University School of Medicine

PDA usage at Yale University School of Medicine seems to mirror the family residency results mentioned above.

According to Mark Gentry, Clinical Support Librarian at the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University, "85% of the medical students use a PDA. It's not a requirement until third year, but for the PA program it's required in the second year."

Yale University School of Medicine students use STAT!Ref's PIER on PDA to access PIER© - Physicians' Information and Education Resource on PDA to get access to the latest, evidence-based information at the point of care in the clinical setting.

They also have access to PIER on the desktop through the medical library's Web site.

Gentry thinks that interest in evidence-based medicine (EBM) is growing among students. "People are paying attention to it. They realize 'Google' medicine is a problem," said Gentry.

Gentry and his colleagues effectively promote the PIER on PDA resource (among others). They do demonstrations of PDA software (using a PDA emulator) to students as they move from the second to the third year of medical school. Additional hands-on PDA training sessions made a big difference last year in teaching the students how to use this new technology. There is also a link on the Yale library software Web page and also at the PDA software workstation.

"I think students generally know how to use it and find it valuable from anecdotal comments" he said. "Several faculty like the quality of the material. We are conducting a survey that should provide more information."

The evidence ratings, consultation and the organization are the PIER features that are particularly popular according to Gentry.

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About Yale University School of Medicine:

The Yale University School of Medicine is one of the world's leading centers for biomedical research, advanced clinical care and medical education. It ranks seventh among medical schools receiving research funding from the National Institutes of Health. More than 700 Yale physicians provide care to patients from across the region and around the world.

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Notes: Neither Mark Gentry nor the Yale University School of Medicine endorses STAT!Ref: PIER on PDA. Photo above by Michael Marsland | Yale University.