Use of Information and Communication Technology by Medical Students


New technology has brought significant changes in education . Medical education has also undergone profound changes due to recent technological advancements . Medical schools, particularly in the developed countries, have invested heavily in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), not only to deliver education, but also to improve the quality of services that health professionals provide. Developing countries like India, where a scarcity of human resources in the health sector is a serious problem, can be a particular beneficiary of ICT-mediated education. Lack of educational institutions and qualified medical educators, poor distribution of facilities and poor access to the latest educational infrastructure are some of the issues to be addressed to improve the quality of medical education in developing countries. Advanced technology can address at least some of these problems. In fact, international organizations such as the United Nations (UN) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have acknowledged ICT as a useful tool to address education in health care sector in developing countries . United Nations Millennium Development Goals have articulated the significance of the use of ICT to address education and health issues .