Assessing computer skills amongst dental undergraduate students at a public sector dental institution in Pakistan

Abstract

Introduction/Objectives: Information and Communication technology (ICT) is an important tool in dental education and practice, and its use is rapidly increasing. The aim of the study is to assess the information and communication technologies (ICT) skills of a public sector dental students in Pakistan. Methods: Cross sectional survey was conducted, and dental students from all four years attending Karachi Medical & Dental College (KM&DC), Pakistan responded to the self-reported and pre-tested study questionnaire. Information related to generic and basic ICT skills, frequency of computer use (hours/week), years of computer use, reasons for use and access to computers were inquired. Results: In total, 159 students with an overall response rate of 63.6% participated in the study. 97.5% of the study population mentioned that they had access to computers. The mean (±SD) months of computer use and hours per week spent in using computer were 104.80 (±43.54) months and 8.67 (±7.30) [hours/week], respectively. The highest levels of competence assessed using the generic ICT score were for email, file management, internet and word. Of the 16 basic skills evaluated, only 4 (turning computer on and off, using a mouse, printing, and setting up mailbox) were present in 80% of the participants. The mean (±SD) of the generic scores were 16.09 (± 6.52) out of a maximum score of 33 and for the specific ICT skills the mean (±SD) were 10.77 (±3.85) out of a maximum score of 16. The two scores were significantly correlated, r = 0.672 (p \u3c 0.001). Conclusion: Our study has found a low level of ICT skills, thus attention is required to improve ICT skills for personal and professional development of these dental students. Keywords: ICT, medical education, Dental Students, Computer literac