Telecommunications – the disconnect between medical practice and medical education

Abstract

Innovations in telecommunications have reinvented the delivery medical education, but yet the change in medical curriculum may be lagging behind the rapid expansion of the use of these technologies in medical practice. Specifically, the use of smartphones is a mainstay for communicating between colleagues and to inform clinical decision-making. Medical education must therefore inform students of the risks associated with securing patients’ confidential information. By analyzing the current state of personal electronic device usage by medical trainees clinically, practical solutions to secure patient information and protect healthcare professionals can be implemented into undergraduate and graduate medical programs.