Abstract
<span>Although there are studies that explore the use of mobile devices by physicians and pharmacists, there has not been a study to date that examines the prevalence and usage patterns of mobile devices amongst pharmacy students and faculty. This is the first pan-Canadian study that examines the prevalence and patterns of use of mobile devices by pharmacy faculty and students at Anglophone and Francophone universities. Unlike previous studies, this study also included interviews with participants to collect richer data than can be gathered with an online survey alone.</span>
Highlights
The integration of mobile devices into clinical practice is increasingly prevalent within the health sciences, and these tools are rapidly becoming main points of access for finding patient care information [1, 2]
The earliest mobile devices, which largely consisted of handheld computers or personal digital assistants (PDAs), gained widespread popularity in the clinical environment throughout the 1990s [3Á8]
Our study revealed almost universal ownership at 95%; of particular note, all fourth-year pharmacy students and pharmacy faculty reported owning a mobile device
Summary
The integration of mobile devices into clinical practice is increasingly prevalent within the health sciences, and these tools are rapidly becoming main points of access for finding patient care information [1, 2]. The earliest mobile devices, which largely consisted of handheld computers or personal digital assistants (PDAs), gained widespread popularity in the clinical environment throughout the 1990s [3Á8] These devices were used to perform a multitude of tasks, such as finding bedside answers to clinical questions, performing calculations, and documenting patient interventions [1, 5, 8]. A 2011 U.S survey of medical residents and fellows reported that over 85% of respondents were using some type of smartphone and that 56% were using apps in their clinical work [12] Another 2011 U.S survey of pharmacy students and faculty reported that 77% of respondents owned smartphones, with 63% using their devices to access drug information [13]. The students overwhelmingly preferred the iPad mini over iPads or iPhones, as it provides a nice balance of size, weight, and screen size [17]
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