University faculty on student motivation to use medical education apps and barriers to their usage

K. Kagkelaris, S. Mastronikolis, N. Amasiadi, A. Gerakaris, V. Giorgalla, P. Efthymiou, I. Efstathiou, I. Ziakas, A. Katsifara, C. Kitsos, S. Kolios, A. Konstantopoulou, E. Kyprioti, M.-M. Papadopoulou, N. Razos, I. Schinas, K. Skourou, G. Panayiotakopoulos, I. Koniari, N.G. Kounis, C.D. Georgakopoulos, E. Jelastopulu, P. Plotas

Department of Public Health, Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, University of Patras, Patras, Greece. pplotas@upatras.gr

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• Medical Education

OBJECTIVE: University teachers, who primarily provide guidance and advice to their students, can play a significant role in educational process transformation. As there is no particular e-learning framework, it is important to understand the factors and variables that may impact both its effective usage and further successful implementation. The current study aims to outline the influence of university faculty, and possible barriers preventing medical students from using apps for learning purposes.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Α cross-sectional study was conducted with an online survey questionnaire. The population of the study included 1,458 students from all the seven Greek schools of medicine.

RESULTS: University faculty (51.7%), followed by fellow students and friends (55.6%), constitute the second most common source of information on adopting apps for medical education. 45.8% of students rated their educational guidance as insufficient/inadequate, 33.0% as moderate, 18.6% as quite good, and only 2.7% as sufficient/complete. University professors have proposed certain apps to 25.5% of students. PubMed (41.7%), Medscape (20.9%), and Complete Anatomy (12.2%) were the leading suggestions. The main barriers to app usage were the lack of knowledge of apps’ benefits (28.8%), insufficient updates of their content (21.9%), their cost-effectiveness (19.2%), and financial reasons (16.2%). Most students preferred using free apps (51.4%) and 76.7% preferred universities to cover apps’ expenses.

CONCLUSIONS: University faculty represent the main source of information regarding the adaptation of medical apps in the educational process. However, students need improved and enhanced guidance. The main barriers are ignorance about apps and financial reasons. The majority prefer free apps and universities to cover their cost.

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