Whatsapp enhances Medical education: Is it the future?

Abstract

Background: Whatsapp, launched in the year 2009, has exploded to 400 million active users each month. Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of Whatsapp to enhance medical education in Indian medical school and also investigate the impact of Whatsapp messenger in their curriculum from the perspective of students. Materials and Methods: The study population included 100 students from the second phase of Sri Muthukumaran Medical College Hospital and Research Institute (SMMCHRI). An experimental study was planned by dividing them into two groups by simple random sampling. Experimental model (Study-group) were primed through Whatsapp before the session, while the comparison group (Control-group) comprised of 50 students, who were allowed to attend the lecture without prior exposure to the session. To assess the effect of Whatsapp intervention, a multiple choice post-test was conducted using 10 MCQs pertaining to the topic and a questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey assessing their perception was conducted among the Study-group students immediately after the session. Results: There was a statistically significant difference between Study-group and Control-group students with a p-value less than 0.001. Study-group perceived the new format to be effective than traditional format which was evident by the increase in Likert scale response values. Conclusion: Students are favorably inclined to use the Whatsapp and welcome its role in enhancing their learning experience. Since we observed that it was successful in providing an interactive environment during lecture, we propose that this methodology can be used to enhance student's learning.

Social media in undergraduate medical education: A systematic review

“…32,80 However, it is unclear whether the differences found in the latter two studies result from the use of SoMe or other confounding variables such as weekly assessment 32 or earlier exposure to educational material. 80 Some studies showed that the rate of utilisation of SoMe positively correlated with test score, 37,39,69 however, others suggested time spent on SoMe had no impact on knowledge improvement. 126 Furthermore, most interventions tested participants' knowledge and skills acquisition in the short term, with limited findings on long-term effectiveness.…”

“…Subjective improvements in students' self-reported performance 56,60,63,123,124 and objective increases in assessment outcomes 33,35,38,40,69,82,125 were reported, including in two studies with controlled designs. 32,80 However, it is unclear whether the differences found in the latter two studies result from the use of SoMe or other confounding variables such as weekly assessment 32 or earlier exposure to educational material. 80 Some studies showed that the rate of utilisation of SoMe positively correlated with test score, 37,39,69 however, others suggested time spent on SoMe had no impact on knowledge improvement.…”

“…38,69,75,76 Many interventions were evaluated to assess student opinions and attitudes towards inclusion of SoMe within their medical curriculum. 8,14,34,49,70,77,78,79,80,81,82,83,84,85,86,87 Privacy was a focus of 28/58 (48%) SoMe interventions with the use of closed gro ups, 32,45,48,68,70,72,74,75,87,88 private communication platforms such as WhatsApp and WeChat 14,33,34,35,36,37,38,50,51,60,62,66,78,80,81,82,83 and even a bespoke institution-specific SoMe platform. 53 16/58 (28%) studies involved case-based or problem-based learning.…”

Comparing the effect of LINE-based and WhatsApp-based educational interventions on reproductive health knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors among Triad adolescents: A quasi-experimental study

“…WhatsApp is a program that is suitable for use in the educational process. In the field of health education, several programs have integrated WhatsApp into teaching and learning to evaluate its effect (Krishnan et al, 2017 ; Ventola, 2014 ), explore the impact of using WhatsApp on student education (Cetinkaya, 2017 ), determine the effects of sexual education on the level of sexual knowledge and sexual myths in female midwifery students (Gonenc et al, 2021 ), examines the domestication of WhatsApp among young people (Ahad & Lim, 2014 ), find out the lecturer’s perspective on the use of WhatsApp to support the teaching and learning process (Gachago et al, 2015 ), comparing the WhatsApp service to traditional SMS (Church & Oliveira, 2013 ), comparing the effectiveness of teaching via WhatsApp and booklets on the learning rate and emotional status in healthy women related to breast cancer.…”

The Use of Telegram in Surgical Education: Exploratory Study

“…Messaging apps, particularly WhatsApp, are being increasingly used in medical education [ 21 - 23 ]. Alternatively, the use of Telegram, a free, cross-platform, cloud-based messaging app [ 24 ] popular with younger individuals, remains relatively unexplored [ 11 ].…”