Residents’ Knowledge About and Attitudes Toward Use of Computers

Residents perform a variety of communication, charting, educational, and research tasks, in addition to caring for patients. Although existing computer software can help residents accomplish many of these tasks, certain costs (e.g., training and time) are incurred. To facilitate computer use., faculty must identify what residents know and think about computers. This study investigated the knowledge about and attitudes toward computer use held by residents in a large urban teaching hospital. Residents were surveyed across seven programs; 129 surveys (78%) were returned. Residents reported a lack of computer expertise, even though a majority reported they had used a microcomputer. Residents indicated a positive attitude about the general use of computers but were undecided or only slightly positive toward the use of computers as instructional tools. These results suggest opportunities and challenges in terms of providing residents with access to computers and training them to use these tools effectively.