INTRODUCING MEDICAL-STUDENTS TO MEDICAL INFORMATICS

Medical informatics (MI) has been introduced to medical students in se veral countries. Before outlining a course plan it was necessary to co nduct a survey on students' computer literacy. A questionnaire was des igned for students, focusing on knowledge and previous computer experi ence. The questions reproduced a similar questionnaire submitted to me dical students from North Carolina University in Chapel Hill (NCU). Fr om the results it is clear that although almost 80% of students used c omputers, less than 30% used general purpose applications, and utiliza tion of computer-aided search of databases or use in the laboratory wa s exceptional. Men reported more computer experience than women in eac h area investigated by our questionnaire but this did not appear to be related to academic performance, age or course. Our main objectives w hen planning an MI course were to give students a general overview of the medical applications of computers and instruct them of the use of computers in future medical practice. As our medical school uses both Apple Macintosh and IBM compatibles, we decided to provide students wi th basic knowledge of both. The programme was structured with a mix of theoretico-practical lectures and personalized practical sessions in the computer laboratory. As well as providing a basic overview of medi cal informatics, the course and computer laboratory were intended to e ncourage other areas of medicine to incorporate the computer into thei r teaching programmes.