Research Profile
Dr Rebecca Dimond
The iDoc project @ The Cardiff Unit for Research and Evaluation in Medical and Dental Education (CUREMeDE)
Director: Professor Alison Bullock
The Wales Deanery funded ‘iDoc project’ offers trainee doctors in Wales medical textbooks with search facility on their own smartphones. This aims to assist the transition from medical school to workplace, a period associated with increased patient mortality and trainee anxiety as they manage increasing responsibility for patient care with limited knowledge and experience.
The iDoc project began in 2009 with a pilot study, providing trainees first with PDAs and then with smartphones. This third phase began in August 2012, giving trainees access to medical resources on their own smartphones. Evaluation is through baseline questionnaires and case reports which detail specific instances of use. More than 100 case reports have been submitted and analysis is ongoing.
The iDoc project has provided evidence to demonstrate that offering tools to support learners can enhance the quality of work place experience and work based learning (Morgan et al., 2010; Hardyman et al 2013). Despite positive outcomes, evaluation also revealed challenges for smartphone users including misinterpretation by colleagues and patients about the purpose of smartphone use.
Hardyman W, Bullock A, Brown A, Carter-Ingram S and Stacey M. (2013) Mobile technology supporting trainee doctors' workplace learning and patient care: an evaluation BMC Medical Education. 13:6. doi:10.1186/1472-6920-13-6
Morgan M, Pugsley L, Bullock A, Phillips S, Stacey M. (2010) Evaluating trainee doctors' educational use of a personal digital assistant: a pilot study. British Journal of Hospital Medicine (Lond). 71(8): 461-4.