title: Pharmacy students' preference for using mobile devices in a clinical setting for practice-related tasks.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine pharmacy students' ownership of, use of, and preference for using a mobile device in a practice setting.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty-one pharmacy students were recruited and completed a pretest that collected information about their demographics and mobile devices and also had them rank the iPhone, iPad mini, and iPad for preferred use in a pharmacy practice setting. Students used the 3 devices to perform pharmacy practice-related tasks and then completed a posttest to again rank the devices for preferred use in a pharmacy practice setting.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The iPhone was the most commonly owned mobile device (59.3% of students), and the iPad mini was the least commonly owned (18.5%). About 70% of the students used their mobile devices at least once a week in a pharmacy practice setting. The iPhone was the most commonly used device in a practice setting (46.9% of students), and the iPod Touch was the least commonly used device (1.2%). The iPad mini was the most preferred device for use in a pharmacy practice setting prior to performing pharmacy practice-related tasks (49.4% of students), and was preferred by significantly more students after performing the tasks (70.4%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pharmacy students commonly use their mobile devices in pharmacy practice settings and most selected the iPad mini as the preferred device for use in a practice setting even though it was the device owned by the fewest students.
authors: Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy, Shenandoah University, Winchester, Virginia.
authors: Craig A H
authors: CA
authors: Richard
authors: Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy, Shenandoah University, Winchester, Virginia.
authors: Justine F
authors: JF
authors: Hastings
authors: Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy, Shenandoah University, Winchester, Virginia.
authors: Jennifer E
authors: JE
authors: Bryant
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001292:Attitude to Computers; D003194:Computer-Assisted Instruction / Q000295:instrumentation*; D034201:Computers, Handheld; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D003479:Curriculum; D004512:Education, Pharmacy / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D000068997:Smartphone; D013339:Students, Pharmacy / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: iPad; iPad mini; iPhone; mobile device; pharmacy