title: Enhancing Pharmacy Student Learning and Perceptions of Medical Apps.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The use of mobile apps in health care is growing. Current and future practitioners must be equipped with the skills to navigate and utilize apps in patient care, yet few strategies exist for training health care professional students on the usage of apps.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To characterize first-year pharmacy student use of medical apps, evaluate first-year pharmacy student's perception of skills in finding, evaluating, and using medical apps before and after a focused learning experience, and assess student satisfaction and areas for improvement regarding the learning experience.
  
  
  METHODS
  Students listened to a recorded, Web-based lecture on finding, evaluating, and using mobile apps in patient care. A 2-hour, interactive workshop was conducted during which students were led by an instructor through a discussion on strategies for finding and using apps in health care. The students practiced evaluating 6 different health care-related apps. Surveys were conducted before and after the focused learning experience to assess students' perceptions of medical apps and current use and perspectives on satisfaction with the learning experience and role of technology in health care.
  
  
  RESULTS
  This educational intervention is the first described formal, interactive method to educate student pharmacists on medical apps. With a 99% response rate, surveys conducted before and after the learning experience displayed perceived improvement in student skills related to finding (52/119, 44% before vs 114/120, 95% after), evaluating (18/119, 15% before vs 112/120, 93% after), and using medical apps in patient care (31/119, 26% before vs 108/120, 90% after) and the health sciences classroom (38/119, 32% before vs 104/120, 87% after). Students described satisfaction with the educational experience and agreed that it should be repeated in subsequent years (89/120, 74% agreed or strongly agreed). Most students surveyed possessed portable electronic devices (107/119, 90% mobile phone) and agreed with the concept of medical apps being an important part of the health care profession in the future (112/119, 94% before and 115/120, 96% after).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Student pharmacists recognize the key role technology plays in the future of health care. A medical apps workshop was successful in improving student pharmacists' perceptions of ability to find, evaluate, and use medical apps.
authors.affiliation: The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy, Division of Pharmacy Practice and Science, Columbus, OH, United States. rodis.2@osu.edu.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7293-5759
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rodis
authors.forename: Timothy Dy
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6914-0218
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Aungst
authors.forename: Nicole V
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0653-7875
authors.initials: NV
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Yan
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4047-8300
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: Leonard
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5058-2705
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tam
keywords: health care; mobile applications; pharmacy; students