Today's Medical Students are the Most Technology-Savvy Yet

[Sarah Willey]

We read every day about how technology is just a way of life for medical professionals, but especially for young medical students, according to a new survey.

The fifth annual Future Physicians of America survey conducted by Epocrates, Inc. revealed that medical students not only believe in the value of electronic health records (EHRs), but expect availability when they practice medicine.

Also, the majority are choosing clinical references on their iPhone® device over teachers and peers to answer questions.

* Having an electronic health record is a very important factor for 70 percent of medical students in deciding where they will practice medicine. In contrast to industry predictions, students believe the benefits to medical practices will be the main driver for EHR implementation, rather than government initiatives. This is largely due to early exposure to EHR systems, as more than half of respondents said they are satisfied with the level of training their program provided on EHR use.

Have you ever wondered which device people prefer? Not a tough guess. According to the survey:

* Medical students prefer the latest smartphone devices - Apple mobile devices - the iPhone and iPod® touch - have soared in popularity with nearly 70 percent of students currently using the device, a 37 percent increase over 2009 respondents. BlackBerry® and Android™ devices have the second and third highest adoption, respectively.

For full survey results, click here.

[Cheri Keith]

Interesting post, Sarah. it will be interesting to see how the iPad impacts all of this. There has been so much discussion about how this technology will impact the medical field-- you'd assume that tomorrow's doctors will begin using it now!