Practicing evidence based medicine at the bedside: a randomized controlled pilot study in undergraduate medical students assessing the practicality of tablets, smartphones, and computers in clinical life

BACKGROUND: Practicing evidence-based medicine is an important aspect of providing good medical care. Accessing external information through literature searches on computer-based systems can effectively achieve integration in clinical care. We conducted a pilot study using smartphones, tablets, and stationary computers as search devices at the bedside. The objective was to determine possible differences between the various devices and assess students’ internet use habits. METHODS: In a randomized controlled pilot study, 120 students were divided in three groups. One control group solved clinical problems on a computer and two intervention groups used mobile devices at the bedside. In a questionnaire, students were asked to report their internet use habits as well as their satisfaction with their respective search tool using a 5-point Likert scale. RESULTS: Of 120 surveys, 94 (78.3%) complete data sets were analyzed. The mobility of the tablet (3.90) and the smartphone (4.39) was seen as a significant advantage over the computer (2.38, p < .001). However, for performing an effective literature search at the bedside, the computer (3.22) was rated superior to both tablet computers (2.13) and smartphones (1.68). No significant differences were detected between tablets and smartphones except satisfaction with screen size (tablet 4.10, smartphone 2.00, p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Using a mobile device at the bedside to perform an extensive search is not suitable for students who prefer using computers. However, mobility is regarded as a substantial advantage, and therefore future applications might facilitate quick and simple searches at the bedside. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12911-014-0113-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.