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April 22, 1998
Hello OBGYN.netters,
This week I have an interesting opinion poll taken on our medical professionals discussion forum, OBGYN-L. It discusses the use of Internet among Ob/Gyn Residents. We have some pretty interesting posts that run the gamut of opinions. If you would like to add your opinion on this topic please send it to me at roberta.speyer@obgyn.net.
My Original Post:
From: Roberta Speyer, OBGYN.net Publisher (roberta.speyer@obgyn.net)
Sat, 18 Apr 1998 22:53:13 -0500 (CDT)I had a meeting with several heads of US Resident programs today. One uses the Internet strictly for leisure reasons, the other two not at all. All concured that no more than 20% of their Residents use the Internet.
Reasons cited were lack of money to pay for Internet connectivity and the fact that most residents are women and not as interested.
They do not believe that this will change in the forseeable future.
Question:
- Do you agree that no more than 20% of US Residents are currently using the Internet for educational purposes?
- How many years do you think it will be before it will be greater than 50%?
- To what degree are female Residents more or less likely to adopt Internet use for an educational resource?
- What factors would contribute to greater Internet use by Residents.
- Are Residents who's program directors are using the Internet themselves adopting Internet use more redily than Residents who's program directors do not use it?
Roberta
Responses:
From: RCSH (RCSH@aol.com)
Sun, 19 Apr 1998 00:05:34 EDTI spend a good deal of my time teaching physicians about computers, and internet. While I know the facts (that the medical profession is eons behind other businesses/industries in computer utilization) I am not able to understand why.
This info about residents fits exactly the profile of practicing physicians: only a minority use it personally - is it something in our training, or perhaps the selection process, that causes such large numbers to ignore/avoid/disdain the use of computers for our professional life. There does not seem to be a problem of physicians using this technology in other fields.
Bafling.
The movie "10 commandments" comes to mind - Ramses II would not stoop down to writing anything (although I think he could read); he would simply dictate, concluding each edict with "...so shall it be, and so shall it be written!" and the scribes would dutifully write all down on the tablets.
Rafael Haciski, MD FACOG Gynecology & Infertility Assoc. Baltimore MD www.ivf-md.com
From: Douglas Krell MD (dougkrell@roadrunner.com)
Sun, 19 Apr 1998 01:16:06 -06001. Do you agree that no more than 20% of US Residents are currently using the Internet for educational purposes?
don't know, but it seems that alot of the residents I talk to are on the net. they are not familiar with all the resources however.
2. How many years do you think it will be before it will be greater than 50%?
2-5
3. To what degree are female Residents more or less likely to adopt Internet use for an educational resource?
not an issue imho
4. What factors would contribute to greater Internet use by Residents.
internet access in-hospital cheap pc's hi speed data transfer marketing and advertising
5. Are Residents who's program directors are using the Internet themselves adopting Internet use more redily than Residents who's program directors do not use it?
prob'ly yes. you know the old saying, "intern see...intern do".
From: Geffrey H. Klein, MD (gklein@bcm.tmc.edu)
Sun, 19 Apr 1998 08:28:03 -06001. Do you agree that no more than 20% of US Residents are currently Q> using the Internet for educational purposes?
no, I believe people who do not use the internet underestimate the number of people using the internet.
how hard would it be to do that study? Send a questionairre to the residency coordinators of a representative sample of programs.
2. How many years do you think it will be before it will be greater Q> than 50%?
I think we may be close to that number soon. (perhaps people who use the internet are more likely to overestimate the number of people using the internet)
3. To what degree are female Residents more or less likely to adopt Q> Internet use for an educational resource?
The internet is populted by a higher proportion of males. This is changing, though, and should not be a factor in the near future..
4. What factors would contribute to greater Internet use by Residents.
greater use by faculty and more access to computers in the work place.
5. Are Residents who's program directors are using the Internet themselves adopting Internet use more redily than Residents who's program directors do not use it?
I believe so..
From: Paul Prior MD (pprior@fast.net)
Sun, 19 Apr 1998 15:21:29 GMTQuestion:
1. Do you agree that no more than 20% of US Residents are currently using the Internet for educational purposes?Yes.
2. How many years do you think it will be before it will be greater than 50%?
My magic eight ball says "not likely"
3. To what degree are female Residents more or less likely to adopt Internet use for an educational resource?
Less in my experience (but that is less use in general, not less in proportion of educational use)
4. What factors would contribute to greater Internet use by Residents.
Access.
5. Are Residents who's program directors are using the Internet themselves adopting Internet use more redily than Residents who's program directors do not use it?
?
From: Stephen A. Szabo (saszabo@pop.a001.sprintmail.com)
Sun, 19 Apr 1998 11:45:51 -04001. Do you agree that no more than 20% of US Residents are currently using the Internet for educational purposes?
I disagree. At least at all of the Navy programs all the residents either have computers in their office or one accessible for their use
2. How many years do you think it will be before it will be greater than 50%?
Probably already close - 1-2 years
3. To what degree are female Residents more or less likely to adopt Internet use for an educational resource?
Should not be a gender bias
4. What factors would contribute to greater Internet use by Residents.
Internet access in the hospital computers within their departments
5. Are Residents who's program directors are using the Internet themselves adopting Internet use more readily than Residents who's program directors do not use it?
Probably yes
From: J. Glenn Bradley, MD (ENDODOK@aol.com)
Sun, 19 Apr 1998 14:39:44 EDTRoberta: Friday's USA TODAY had an a front page article on Internet utilization. It is doubling every 100 days!!! Those folks who do not have the time or inclination to utilize the most profound communications/information revolution in the history of man will ultimately see the light.Candles and gas lamps belong to another era!!
Glenn
From: Lisa Maria Soule (lsoule@umaryland.edu)
Sun, 19 Apr 1998 21:25:07 -0400 (EDT)I can't speak for residents yet, but I would guess that the percentage will continue to rise annually. At my medical school, our first block was on informatics, and as of the class of '00, all entering Med Students are required to purchase their own laptops. We all use the Internet frequently for Problem Based Learning and other course and clinical requirements.
Lisa
From: R. Daniel Braun, M.D. (rbraun@iunet.iupui.edu)
Mon, 20 Apr 1998 14:37:50 -0500I had a meeting with several heads of US Resident programs today. One uses the Internet strictly for leisure reasons, the other two not at all. All concured that no more than 20% of their Residents use the Internet.
Reasons cited were lack of money to pay for Internet connectivity and the fact that most residents are women and not as interested.
What a SEXIST comment. especially for directors of OB/GYN residency programs. They obviously do not have a 100% female class of chief residents (Who by the way refer to themselves as "Chicks in Charge")
They do not believe that this will change in the forseeable future.
Question:
1. Do you agree that no more than 20% of US Residents are currently using the Internet for educational purposes?60 % of our residents use the internet on a regular basis.
2. How many years do you think it will be before it will be greater than 50%?
Depends on several things, This year 100% of the entering Freshman calss at I.U. SOM is required to have computers. The University signed a licencse agreement with Microsoft which allows all students and faculty to have use of Windows, MSIE, and Office. I think some others were included. These people will be using the Internet.
3. To what degree are female Residents more or less likely to adopt Internet use for an educational resource?
Depends on the female, same as it depends on the male if you asked the question about males. All of our residents have access to the internet and at least 60% use it on a regular basis.
4. What factors would contribute to greater Internet use by Residents.
Leadership and encouragement by their program directors and Deans, etc.
5. Are Residents who's program directors are using the Internet themselves adopting Internet use more redily than Residents who's program directors do not use it?
YOU BETCHA!!!!
Residents are the children in the Medical Family and the Chairman is the Father.
From: Linda Morrison-Boczar, MD, MBA, FACOG (Ealgail@aol.com)
Mon, 20 Apr 1998 18:20:03 EDTI had a meeting with several heads of US Resident programs today. One >uses the Internet strictly for leisure reasons, the other two not at all. All concured that no more than 20% of their Residents use the Internet.
While at Indiana Univ. we surveyed our residents for computer use, internet use, word processor use, and ownership of computers. Virtually 100 percent were interested and (probably because of our library and multiple computers) virtually all had access to computers. They did not all have Internet access, but 70% were interested in getting it. Of those who did not own a computer, all planned a purchase. In that group of hospitals, electronic medical records were a reality, so that probably accounted for the interest in this group of 34 residents.
During the same period of time, I also surveyed the regional group of ob/gyns in the Indianapolis/Indiana section of ACOG, who attended the regional ACOG meeting. In that group, use was in the 20% range, but interest was in the 50% range. I also surveyed HOW they used their computers, and internet use was minimal, less than 10% (1995). Most used it for billing, word processing and games.
Because of television references to the Internet, it would be interesting to redo that study now. Interest would have to be much greater.
From: Myer S. Bornstein (mborn@massmed.org)
Mon, 20 Apr 1998 19:14:27 -0400I cannot speak for residents in general, although the ones who I have dealings with use the nest. I am bringing my department screaming and clawing into the age of computers. All department memos go out by e-mail. I have had computer classes to show them how tom use the hospital system. With our hospital now computerizing patient care activities, vital signs, I&O etc they have to learn or they can just complain. We on this list understand the future and the futures is now. SO may the force be with you.
From: L. Mandel (lmandel@u.washington.edu)
Mon, 20 Apr 1998 16:17:16 -0700 (PDT)In talking to our residents, R1's and R2's are more likely to use the Internet than the R3's and R4's. They have a computer and direct (T1) access in the resident room, and most have computers at home. Men seem to use it more than women but this may just be our particular residents. The main barrier to more extensive use seems to be taking the time to learn how to identify appropriate resources and how to access them. The same holds true for our faculty. When they find something they really want on the Web (such as access to full-text journal articles) and see how much time it can save, they are more motivated to learn.
I think the potential is there to have almost all residents on line within the next two years. The key is to provide fast access and training. While having a director who uses the Internet would be ideal, even those with no computer skills can still provide support--encouragement and funding for equipment and training.
Our medical school is now identifying medical informatics skills students should have in order to graduate. These students will be residents in a few years. At the same time, patients are coming in with information they have downloaded from the Web. So like it or not, residents will have to learn what is out there and how to use it. I don't have hard data but I have seen an increase in Internet use among our students, residents, and faculty just in the last year.
Lynn Mandel, Ph.D. Educator, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology University of Washington School of Medicine
If you have any interesting news, ideas, or questions you would like to share please drop me a line at roberta.speyer@obgyn.net.
4/22/98
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