How much do preclinical medical students utilize the internet to study physiology?

How much do preclinical medical students utilize the internet to study physiology? Adv Physiol Educ. 2019 Sep 01;43(3):383-391 Authors: O'Malley D, Barry DS, Rae MG Abstract Medical students increasingly utilize social media platforms to supplement their preclinical learning; however, the prevalence of social media use for physiology learning in medical education remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to determine how first-year medical students from both direct entry medicine and graduate entry medicine interacted with social media as a learning tool by assessing its prevalence, perceived benefits, favored platforms, and reason(s) for its use. Seventy-one percent of surveyed students (out of 139 participants) stated that they interacted with social media in general more than 12 times per week. However, 98% had previously used internet platforms to source physiology information, with 89.2% doing so at least once per week during term. YouTube was the primary source of learning for 76% of students. Significantly, 94% of students indicated that they would first search for answers online if they did not understand something in physiology rather than contacting their instructor in person or by e-mail. However, only 31% of students "fact-checked" physiology information obtained from online sources, by using textbooks, papers, and/or instructors. Our study has revealed that most preclinical medical students utilize social media e...
Source: Adv Physiol Educ - Category: Universities & Medical Training Authors: Tags: Adv Physiol Educ Source Type: research