. Nirupam Madaan; . LaxmiTej Wundavalli; . Sujata Satapathy
Volume 10, Issue 7 , July 2020, , Pages 1-5
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Use of technology and ICT tools is ubiquitous among college students includingmedical students. However overuse or misuse may lead to many physical and psychological problemsincluding ...
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INTRODUCTION: Use of technology and ICT tools is ubiquitous among college students includingmedical students. However overuse or misuse may lead to many physical and psychological problemsincluding the risk of harming professional standing in the long term. The purpose of this study wasto explore techno stress among freshmen at a medical institute and to suggest measures to reduceproblematic use of technology pertaining to internet.OBJECTIVES: (i) To explore the extent of technology use including internet among medicalfreshmen, (ii) To identify the content of usage (iii) To quantify the extent of techno stress and iv. Tosuggest measures to reduce problematic use of technology.MATERIALS AND METHODS: The sample comprised all the freshmen at a medical institute (n = 61).A semi structured questionnaire was used to collect socio demographic details of students and theirpatterns of technology usage. Perceived Stress Scale was used to measure stress.RESULTS: The mean age of the sample was 18.34 (±0.58) years comprising 68% males and 32%females. Students spent a mean time of 3.96 h/day on the technology tools (standard deviation = 4.99).Ninety-two percent of the students used technology for educational purposes followed byentertainment (89%), social networking (77.78%), watching films (70.37%), communication (66.67%)and watching pornography (46.3%). 11.47% had symptoms suggestive of problematic internet use.One percent had craving suggestive of addiction. All these had stress out of which 43% had highand 57% had moderate levels of stress.DISCUSSION: Considering the students’ present usage of social media, it can serve as a potentacademic tool. However, awareness is required to be raised with regard to its use as a medicalprofessional.CONCLUSION: Use of technology is crucial in the current academic world and restrictions on usagemay neither be practical nor feasible. However, understanding patterns of usage among students is apreliminary step that can enable educators and administrators to formulate guidelines to channelisetheir usage in more productive ways.
