Preparing Physicians for Utilizing Technology in Healthcare

Purpose: Healthcare has become increasingly reliant on technology, creating a steep learning curve for physicians seeking to implement modern technology into their clinical practice. Thus, acquiring a sound understanding of point-of-care technology is necessary to improve patient outcomes and reduce potential harm. To determine the degree to which future physicians feel prepared to welcome this increasing dependence on technology, current 3rd- and 4th-year UNTHSC medical students were surveyed before and after taking an elective course in healthcare technologies. The objective of the survey was to identify the extent of medical student knowledge of technology applications in medicine and their comfort level in applying their knowledge in clinic. Methods: A survey was conducted for medical students enrolled in the Healthcare Emerging Technologies course at UNTHSC, both prior to the course and again following course completion. The survey elicited the comfort level of students in using technology in medicine in addition to the student's belief in the applicability of various technologies in future medical practice. The technologies specified in these questions included: augmented virtual reality, 3D printing, wearable technology, mobile applications, robotics, and artificial intelligence. Survey participants were given a sliding scale of 0-100 to gauge both their comfort level in working with the specified technology as well as their belief in the applicability of the technology in medicine. The survey results for comfort level were grouped into five categories: 0-19 ("very uncomfortable"), 20-39 ("uncomfortable"), 40-59 ("neutral"), 60-79 ("comfortable"), and 80-100 ("very comfortable"). The survey responses belief in the applicability of a particular technology were also grouped into five categories: 0-19 ("strongly disagree"), 20-39 ("disagree"), 40-59 ("neutral"), 60-79 ("agree"), and 80-100 ("strongly agree"). Results: The survey population consisted of 280 medical students that completed the pre-course survey and 200 students that completed the post-course survey. Following course completion, student comfort level with technology increased with respect to the following sectors: augmented virtual reality (+141%), 3-D printing (+140%), wearable tech (+62%), mobile applications (+24%), robotics (+112%), and artificial intelligence (+154%). Student belief in the applicability of technology in healthcare increased in the following sectors as well: augmented virtual reality (+52%), 3-D printing (+17%), wearable tech (+13%), mobile applications (+5%), robotics (+11%), and artificial intelligence (+34%). Conclusion: Providing the survey to students prior to their Healthcare Emerging Technologies course assessed their perceptions of technology in medicine. Following their participation in the class, student comfort in working with these technologies in their future medical career increased dramatically. Student confidence in the applicability of technology in healthcare increased to a lesser extent - based on pre-course survey responses, many students already held strong beliefs on the utility of technology in medicine, and the knowledge they obtained from the class solidified this belief. Given the lower comfort level of students in working with medical technology, it is necessary to give students the opportunity to discover and learn the usefulness of point-of-care technologies here at UNTHSC.