Abstract
BackgroundInformation and communications technology (ICT) has been suggested as an important tool for improving global health education and building research capacity in developing countries. However, the existing curricula do not have adequate emphasis on global health research and training. This study was carried out to examine health sciences postgraduates’ attitudes and practices regarding curriculum for ICT use in global health research and training in China.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among health sciences postgraduates from six universities in southern China, during December 2016 to March 2017. A self-administered online questionnaire was used to collect data through an online survey platform. Data were analyzed using SPSS for Windows 13.0.ResultsA total of 1065 participants successfully completed the questionnaires. More than 90% of the students have not had any training about ICT, three quarters have not taken an online course, and 31% of the students do not use ICT in their current research. More than 65% thought that, in an ICT research training curriculum, it was important to learn: ICT utilization related knowledge, ICT research methods/resources, knowledge of databases, ways of data use and acquisition, and informatics search methods (ICT users compared to non-users were more likely to agree to these learning components (all p < 0.05)). Many of the respondents used or planned to use mobile phones (80%), Internet (59%), use computer and WeChat (> 40%), and QQ (a popular chat tool in China) (30%) as ICT tools in research activities. ICT users compared to non-users were more likely to consider using ICT and/or biomedical informatics methods in decision-support or support for information seeking, healthcare delivering, academic research, data gathering, and facilitating collaboration (all p < 0.05).ConclusionsThe findings of this study showed that ICT utilization was very important to health sciences postgraduates for their research activities in China, but they lacked ICT-related training. The results suggested the need for specialized curriculum related to ICT use in global health research for health sciences postgraduates in China.
Highlights
Information and communications technology (ICT) has been suggested as an important tool for improving global health education and building research capacity in developing countries
More than 90% of the students did not have any training in any aspect of ICT or biomedical informatics, and three quarters of students have not taken an online course (Table 1)
The results of this study revealed that currently ICT use for research and/or training is low amongst the health sciences postgraduates: 90% reporting they did not have training in any aspect of ICT or biomedical informatics for use in research related work, three quarters reporting they have not taken any online course; only 69% have used ICT in their current research activities
Summary
Information and communications technology (ICT) has been suggested as an important tool for improving global health education and building research capacity in developing countries. An ICT-based centralized monitoring system was used to monitor immunosuppressive medication use in kidney transplant recipients. It will alert both medical and staff patients with texts and pill box alarms if there is a dosage/dosing time error or a missed dose [3]. ICT tools used in health education and research have been embedded in national strategies, where governments set guidelines that promote the use of ICT [1]. In most developing countries, the use of ICT is quite limited
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