Sa'ad Laws*, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Doha, Qatar Amani Magid, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Doha, Qatar Track: Practice Presentation Topic: Web 2.0-based medical education and learning Presentation Type: Poster presentation Submission Type: Single Presentation Last modified: 2013-09-25

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Many medical schools have begun to supply students with iPads. However, while many students have found varying uses for this new tool, many educators are left wondering what this new phenomena means for them. This was the case at Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar (WCMC-Q) when iPads were issued to medical students in 2011. Many faculty members saw the utility of the devices for students as a study aid, but were not sure of the value in the instructional setting. WCMC-Q’s Distributed eLibrary (DeLib) saw this as an opportunity to use mobile information technology to incorporate different components of information literacy into the medical curriculum.

One of the most successful ways to engage students with information literacy has been the introduction of a rounding program in which librarians attend rounds with third-year clerkship students. DeLib’s involvement in this program is indented to increase student use and competency of mobile devices and resources. Librarians have taken several steps to introduce and monitor iPad and online/mobile resources usage by medical students during rounds. Librarians meet with clerkship directors to determine which apps are most useful for students. At the beginning of each rotation librarians teach clerkship students how to download and use medical apps. Librarians then attend rounds to support students’ information literacy needs, via apps and mobile websites, including the library’s homepage.

Another successful approach has been incorporating iPads within Evidence Based Medicine (EBM) instruction. At WCMC-Q, EBM is a core component of the first-year medical curriculum. Students work through case scenarios, elucidate salient clinical elements, search for and appraise clinical research, and develop answers for their patient’s clinical needs. To facilitate this process, librarians have recently introduced various mobile medical apps for students to use while searching for information. This has proven especially advantageous in answering background questions, which often require the kind of information that many apps supply. Librarians regularly solicit student and faculty feedback and suggestions to gauge the effectiveness of this venture. Additionally, librarians monitor student work for use of mobile apps in terms of quantity and quality of use. In the future, DeLib hopes that the use of mobile devices and apps will increase, so that students can be exposed to a more realistic and proactive method of learning EBM.

One of the most used and central elements of DeLib’s mobile efforts is the creation of a mobile resource web-based guide to help students and faculty navigate the world of mobile devices and resources. The site is aimed at informing students and faculty about some of the more relevant apps in various medical domains. One of the greatest successes of the site has been the Student App of the Month contest. This contest solicits entries from students regarding their favorite or most useful apps. Student then vote for their favorite entry and the winner is awarded a small prize. DeLib uses quantitative and qualitative indicators to gauge interest and use in the Mobile Resources web page.