Academic use and attitude of the 1st year medical students toward smartphones in a North Indian city

Objective: Smartphones have evolved from luxury to essential need items in general population nowadays. iOS by Apple, Android by Google, Windows by Microsoft and Blackberry account for the majority of smartphone operating system which are currently in use today. Materials and Methods: The present study was done among 350 students of medical, dental, nursing and physiotherapy streams to know the prevalence of smartphone use and attitude towards its use. Of the 350 students enrolled in the study, 257 completed the questionnaire with a response rate of 73.4%. Results: Out of 222, 198 had android devices, 13 had iPhones, and 11 had other operating systems including Windows and Blackberry. 191 (74.3%) of the subjects had a working email account. Conclusion: First year students have positive perception towards smartphone use and medical schools should encourage the use of medical applications among them. However, students and medical professionals should be cautious of the negative issues with smartphone use.