Use of information and communication technology among dental students and registrars at the faculty of dental sciences, university of Lagos

The aim of this study was to investigate the use of information technology amongst dental students, dental nursing students and resident doctors in training at the faculty of dental Surgery University of Lagos. A structured questionnaire was distributed to 58 clinical dental students in 4th and 5th years of training in the 2010/2011 academic year, 36 dental nursing students and 63 resident doctors undergoing specialist training. All participants have access to the computers, 2.5% within the University and 31% at home and internet cafes and about 50% have the basic skills required. A significant difference was observed between the resident doctors and clinical dental students (P = 0.003), between resident doctors and dental nursing students (P = 0.0001) when the use of computer for study was compared. Over 95% of participants have access to internet and about 50% of them use the internet for their studies. A significant difference (P = 0.005) was observed between clinical dental students and dental nursing students that use the internet and word processing. The resident doctors used the computers for multimedia and MedLine search tools more than clinical dental students (P = 0.004) and dental nursing students (0.0006). The findings of the study show that dental students and resident doctors in training have the requisite knowledge to operate the computer for use in their study and personal activities

Nigerian Nursing Students’ Readiness to Use Electronic Health Records in Clinical Practice

Most hospitals in Nigeria still rely on paper-based medical records. This aspect  has created a lot of challenges to the documentation in the health care system in the country. The purpose of this descriptive cross-sectional  study conducted in 2019 was to assess Nursing Students’ readiness to use electronic health records in clinical practice. A systematic sampling technique was used to recruit a total of 189 nursing students from two schools of nursing in Ibadan, Oyo State Metropolis in Nigeria; 63 from each year of  the three year program. Data collection involved a self-constructed questionnaire comprised of four sections. Data analysis, which involved SPSS, version 21.0, included frequency counts and percentages. The findings of the study included the following:  less than half of the respondents (49%), mostly female (78%) were within the age range 16-20;  a significant number of respondents (86.2%) were ready to utilize electronic health records in clinical practice; the  perceived barriers to electronic health records use were computer illiteracy, lack of training, unstable power supply, and cost of maintenance and implementation (64.0%; 56.6%; 64.0% 56.1%) respectively. In conclusion, the study highlighted nursing students' readiness to use electronic health records and  the substantial impediments to doing so. Therefore, it is recommended that all relevant stakeholders must work together to reduce the obstacles that could prevent the deployment of electronic health records in clinical nursing practice

Assessing computer skills in Tanzanian medical students: an elective experience

Background: One estimate suggests that by 2010 more than 30% of a physician's time will be spent using information technology tools. The aim of this study is to assess the information and communication technologies (ICT) skills of medical students in Tanzania. We also report a pilot intervention of peer mentoring training in ICT by medical students from the UK tutoring students in Tanzania. Methods: Design: Cross sectional study and pilot intervention study. Participants: Fourth year medical students (n = 92) attending Muhimbili University College of Health Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Main outcome measures: Self-reported assessment of competence on ICT-related topics and ability to perform specific ICT tasks. Further information related to frequency of computer use (hours per week), years of computer use, reasons for use and access to computers. Skills at specific tasks were reassessed for 12 students following 4 to 6 hours of peer mentoring training. Results: The highest levels of competence in generic ICT areas were for email, Internet and file management. For other skills such as word processing most respondents reported low levels of competence. The abilities to perform specific ICT skills were low – less than 60% of the participants were able to perform the core specific skills assessed. A period of approximately 5 hours of peer mentoring training produced an approximate doubling of competence scores for these skills. Conclusion: Our study has found a low level of ability to use ICT facilities among medical students in a leading university in sub-Saharan Africa. A pilot scheme utilising UK elective students to tutor basic skills showed potential. Attention is required to develop interventions that can improve ICT skills, as well as computer access, in order to bridge the digital divide

The reported preparedness and disposition by students in a Nigerian university towards the use of information technology for medical education

Background: The computer and information technology (IT) revolution have transformed modern health care systems in the areas of communication, storage, retrieval of medical information and teaching, but little is known about IT skill and use in most developing nations.Objectives: The aim of this study has been to evaluate the reported preparedness and disposition by medical students in a Nigerian university toward the use of IT for medical education.Methods: A self-administered structured questionnaire containing 24 items was used to obtain information from medical students in the University of Ilorin, Nigeria on their level of computer usage, knowledge of computer software and hardware, availability and access to computer, possession of personal computer and e-mail address, preferred method of medical education and the use of computer as a supplement to medical education.Results: Out of 479 medical students, 179 (37.4%) had basic computer skills, 209 (43.6%) had intermediate skills and 58(12.1%) had advanced computer skills. Three hundred and thirty (68.9%) have access to computer and 451(94.2%) have e-mail addresses. For medical teaching, majority (83.09%), preferred live lecture, 56.78% lecture videos, 35.1%lecture handout on web site and 410 (85.6%) wants computer as a supplement to live lectures. Less than half (39.5%) wants laptop acquisition to be mandatory. Students with advanced computer skills were well prepared and disposed to IT than those with basic computer skill.Conclusion: The findings revealed that the medical students with advanced computer skills were well prepared and disposed to IT based medical education. Therefore, high level of computer skill is required for them to be prepared and favorably disposed to IT based medical education

Factors That Affect the Use of Ict in Nursing Profession in Ebonyi State Nigeria

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has become a major tool in the delivery of health services just as it has made a great impact on other sectors. In Health, it has given birth to e-health, Health informatics, tele-health, etc. The primary focus of this paper is to outline and discus the factors that affect the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Nursing profession in Ebonyi State. The paper also analyzed and found out that the problems of ICT application in Nursing profession are paramount in preventing the successful implementation of health informatics in Ebonyi State. It went ahead to suggest the possible solutions to the identified problems. The paper concluded that nurses need to engage fully in ICT so that they contribute to shaping the care system and emerge as leaders of the new care system. Keywords: ICT, e-Health, health Informatics, Nursing, Internet, computing, telephony

Using Computer and Internet for Medical Literature Searching Among Medical Students in Hadramout University, Yemen

Background: Some researchers have observed that medical students used computer and internet for nonmedical purposes. Is this the case among medical students in a newly established medical college of Hadramout University in Yemen?\ud Objectives: To assess the knowledge and usage of computer and internet among medical students of Hadramout University, find out the medical applications for which they use internet, and the factors that encourage the students to use computer and internet, with an emphasis on gender variations.\ud Methods: In a cross-sectional study, data were collected from 102 randomly selected students from second to sixth year at the academic year 2005/2006 by using structured questionnaire of 23 items. \ud Results: Seventy four students have computer at home (73%), 77 students use internet for general purposes (76.2%) and lesser use internet for educational and research purposes, with significant gender variations. The students opined that accessibility of internet in the college (84.2%) and training about online searching (74.3%) were the most expected factors to improve using of internet for medical research.\ud Conclusion: Incorporating online search of medical literature in curriculum planning is essential to improve the student skills in research

Utilization of Web-Based Resources for Medical Research and Education by Health Professionals at the College of Medicine, Ibadan Nigeria

A survey was conducted to determine the use of web-based information resources for medical research and education by the health professionals in University College Hospital, Ibadan. Questionnaires were administered to the health professionals in various departments in the Hospital. The results showed a low level of use in spite of high awareness level. This was due inter-alia, to lack of information technology skills, fluctuation of electricity, non-access to useful medical information internet addresses. The study recommends compulsory intensive training for the health professionals. The medical librarian should organize massive awareness workshops on useful medical information websites and constantly circulate

The MacArthur Foundation in Nigeria: Report on Activities 2009

Highlights the foundation's work to build the scientific research capacity of Nigerian universities, to reduce maternal mortality and improve sexual and reproductive health, and to advance human rights. Includes grantee profiles and selected grants list

Academic Disciplines and Use of Library-Based Online Resources for Learning Activities by Undergraduates in University of Ibadan, Nigeria

The purpose of the study was to examine the influence of academic disciplines on the use of library-based online resources for learning activities by undergraduates in the University of Ibadan. The paper adopted the quantitative research method. Stratified random sampling technique was adopted in selecting the undergraduate students from each faculty and department with the sampling fraction of 2.5%. The sample size for the study is 303 undergraduates of University of Ibadan. Questionnaire was the instrument used to gather data for the research. 286 (94.4%) questionnaires were properly completed and analyzed. The study revealed that that the Internet is the most preferred medium for information retrieval with 181 (63.3%) students affirming this. E-journal is the most frequently used online resource with 187 (65.4%) ranging from once a day to at least once a month. Also, the total average of 164 (57.34%) of the undergraduates agree that they make use of library-based online resources for their school work while an average of approximately 131 (42.7%) do not make use of the library-based online resources. However, the major challenge in the utilization of library-based online resource is lack of assistance from the library staff with a total of 165 (57.7%) of the students affirming. For undergraduates to excel in their various academic disciplines there is a need to expose the student to the available library based online resources. The recommendations emerging from this study should go a long way to mitigate some of the challenges

Contraceptive self-injection knowledge, attitude and practices among female students of a tertiary health institution in south west Nigeria

Background: Contraception is one of the key strategies to achieving sustainable developments but access has been low among youths in developing countries. It is thus imperative to contextually understand the uptake of one of the newly developed contraceptive methods among undergraduate Nigerian students.  This study assessed knowledge, attitude and practices of students in Bowen University Teaching Hospital Ogbomoso on contraceptive self-injection (DMPA-SC).Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional design was employed among 167 consenting students who were recruited using stratified sampling method. Validated semi-structured, self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were carried out.Results: Mean age (SD) of the respondents was 21.9±2.2. More than a quarter (32.0%) of the respondents were not aware of contraceptive self-injection. Attitude to contraceptive self-injection was positive in 91% of those who were aware of it. However, just 2.4% of the contraceptive users ever used contraceptive self-injection. Cost considerations (25%), fear of side effects (17%), feeling of being not at risk of pregnancy (33.3%) and lack of awareness (25%) were the major barriers to uptakes of contraceptive self-injection among our respondents. Almost three-quarter (71.0%) of the respondents had good knowledge of self-injection contraception. Age, (AOR=5.038, 95% CI=1.846-1.274) and attitude (AOR=3.286, 96% CI=2.253-4.794) were the determinants of good knowledge on contraceptive self-injection.Conclusions: In spite of the predominant positive attitude and good knowledge on contraceptive self-injection, uptake was low in the study population. Authors recommend increased awareness campaign regarding this method of contraception among health-related students who can be vanguards of information dissemination on the product