Information technology in medical education: a nationwide project on the opportunities of the new technology

Context The aim of the national 'IT Culture in Medical Education' project in Finland is to enhance the opportunities new technology may provide for medical education. The project focuses on attitudes towards information technology (IT) and on its current use among teachers and students. Method This survey was part of a Finnish nationwide project in medical education. Data were collected by means of a questionnaire designed to gather information about IT use in medical education, sent to teachers and students. The questions were 5-point Likert-type. The participants were medical teachers (n = 196) and medical students (n = 392) at two medical schools. Results In both universities, it appeared that medical teachers and students had a very positive attitude toward the advances in modern technology. In addition to the favourable attitudes, computer-related technology was also widely applied. Teachers, however, used information technology more in their research work than in teaching. Conclusions The results pose challenges to medical education and underline the importance of educational and psychological knowledge in combination with new technical skills.