Future of Medical Education Journal

Future of Medical Education Journal

Investigating the effect of an educational mobile application on the learning of medical interns in the general surgery ward

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Reza Shojaeian 1
Ali Moradi 2
Seyed Hassan Tavousi 3
Mohammad Etezadpour 3
Lida Bahramian 4
Fariba Zabihi 3
1 Department of Pediatric Surgery, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
2 Orthopedic Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
3 Endoscopic and Minimally Invasive Surgery Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
4 Dental Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
10.22038/fmej.2025.85011.1621
Abstract
Background: This study aimed to determine the effect of using mobile phone-based educational aid software on the learning rate of medical interns in the general surgery department.
Method: This study was conducted on two groups of 70 general medicine interns in the general surgery department during two 8-month periods. The first and second group was educated using traditional and application-based method, respectively.
Results: The mean±SD age of the participants were 24.71 ± 3.19 and 25.25 ± 2.07 years for the app-based group and the traditional group, respectively. There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of age (P = 0.247) or gender (P = 0.175). The score of the basic science test (App-group: 124.59 ± 26.56 vs. Traditional group: 119.06 ± 16.02) and the score of the pre-internship test (App-group: 122.06 ± 22.12 vs. Traditional group: 120.16 ± 16.13) did not show a significant difference between the intervention and control groups (P =0.139, P =0.562). Still, the time elapsed since the internship in the intervention group (8.46 ± 3.46 months) was significantly more than the control group (6.29 ± 4.10 months, P=0.001). A significant increase in the post-test score was found in both groups (P<0.001). There was no significant difference regarding the pre-test results (P=0.731); however, the post-test score was significantly higher in the intervention group compared to the controls (P<0.001).
Conclusion: This study showed that training based on mobile software can be an effective role in training program's medical intern in general surgery department.
Keywords
Educational Technology
General Surgery
Medical Education
Subjects
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Future of Medical Education Journal
Volume 15, Issue 2
Spring 2025
Pages 14-20