We face a technological dilemma
Editor - I have just returned from my elective in the United States and I am very impressed by the incorporation of high technology diagnostic and reference tools in the medical curriculum.
It was not difficult to spot a medical student referring to his electronic textbook; nor was it peculiar to see younger cardiologists testing out the electronic stethoscopes. The medical school library was offering classes concerning the purchase and application of personal digital assistant (PDA). Hospital consultants are anticipating the arrival of wireless transfer of patient data through handhelds.
I once attended a demonstration on handhelds in Britain and was quite amused to be told that a PDA enhances the doctor.patient relationship. This is because, “a doctor who writes down his daily findings in the patient's records, on average, will spend more time disrupting the line of communication with the patient. However, a doctor who jots things down on a handheld, which can be brought closer to the bedside, will end up being the successful communicator, as the doctor is able to maintain a longer duration of eye contact.” Such is the language of a product marketer, but is there any justification for the use of unconventional tools in medical education?
To my knowledge, I do not know of any medical school which has arrived at a consensus on the use of unconventional diagnostic or learning tools by their students. It would be interesting to debate the ethical repercussions of these new technologies. Is it too premature to allow students to dabble with new learning tools which have not been subjected to randomised controlled trials? Or, will the present medical students be missing out on the window of opportunity to sharpen their diagnostic and managerial skills should they be banned from applying these tools during clinical teaching? Should we wait for textbooks on clinical examination to be rewritten to accommodate these changes in line with our American colleagues?
The technological dilemma is real. Ultimately, the sooner a consensus is reached on this issue, the less likely we, the medical students, are to be left astray. After all, an enterprising student will not want to be branded as a cheat or be labelled non.compliant for being slow in adopting the new trends.
Kay Seong Ngoo, fifth year medical student, University of Aberdeen
Email: email
studentBMJ 2001;09:443-486 December ISSN 0966-6494
- www.medscape.com
