The majority of radiology residents are using the iPad as an educational tool rather than for clinical duties, according to a study published online in the Journal of the American College of Radiology.
Thirty-eight radiology residents at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston were provided with iPad 2 tablets and subscriptions to e-Anatomy and STATdx. After six months, the study participants were surveyed to assess their opinions regarding the technology as a tool for education and clinical practice (JACR, June 26, 2013).
Thirty-six residents completed the survey, and 86% reported daily iPad use. Eighty-eight percent of the participants used radiology-specific applications, particularly e-Anatomy, weekly or daily.
Residents were divided on the clinical utility of the iPad. Most did not use it to view radiologic examinations, and fewer than half used their iPads during readout. Only 12% used the iPad to sign dictated reports, according to contributing study author Dr. Justin Kung and colleagues.
"The impact of the iPad on the daily clinical duties of radiology residents in our study was limited, but residents at our institution have adopted the iPad to view electronic journals and use radiology-specific applications," Kung said in a statement released by the American College of Radiology (ACR). "The full impact of this device on resident education will depend on the development of applications that harness the unique ability of this medium for training the next generation of radiologists."
