Exploring the Digital Frontier: A study on Extent of Internet Use among Undergraduate Medical Students

Authors

  • Mohammad Mahabubul Hoque Assistant Professor of Pathology, National Institute of Laboratory Medicine and Referral center, Agargaon, Dhaka.
  • Md Kazi Khairul Alam Professor (CC), Teaching Methodology, Center for Medical Education, Mohakhali, Dhaka.
  • Abdullah Al Mujahid Assistant Professor, Respiratory medicine, OSD DGHS, attached Center for Medical Education, Mohakhali, Dhaka.
  • Md Kamrul Ahsan Khan Assistant Professor, Neonatology, OSD DGHS, attached Center for Medical Education, Mohakhali, Dhaka.
  • Umme Taskia Moon MMEd student, Center for Medical Education, Mohakhali, Dhaka.
  • Najnin Akhter Associate Professor, Anatomy, Brahmanbaria Medical College and Hospital, Brahmanbaria.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3329/bjme.v15i1.70946

Keywords:

Extent of internet use, Undergraduate medical students, Internet addiction

Abstract

Background: The internet is essential for social interaction, information acquisition, and entertainment. The internet has a vast amount of knowledge that is accessible with only a click. For a student of today, it is horrifying to consider academic or research activity without internet.  However, the indiscriminate use of the internet by individuals, especially students, may hamper their academic performance and quality of life. This study aimed to measure the extent of internet use among undergraduate medical students.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed among 926 undergraduate medical students and interns from nine medical colleges of Bangladesh, who were selected using the convenience sampling method. The extent of internet use was assessed by the duration of internet use for academic and non-academic purposes, as well as the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) developed by Kimberly Young.

Results: This study revealed that the mean (SD) hours of internet use for academic purposes, non-academic purposes and total duration of internet use were 2.34 (±1.991), 3.74 (±2.413) and 6.08 (±3.124 respectively. Additionally, 39.3%, 33%, and 2.3% of students had mild, moderate, and severe levels of internet addiction, respectively.

Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that a substantial proportion of undergraduate medical students are spending a considerable amount of time on the internet, with a majority using it for more than 3 hours per day on average. Moreover, a significant portion of these students demonstrated varying levels of internet addiction.

BJME, Volume-15, Issue-01, January 2024: 12-24

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Published

2024-01-12

How to Cite

Hoque, M. M. ., Alam, M. K. K. ., Mujahid, A. A. ., Khan, M. K. A. ., Moon, U. T. ., & Akhter, N. . (2024). Exploring the Digital Frontier: A study on Extent of Internet Use among Undergraduate Medical Students. Bangladesh Journal of Medical Education, 15(1), 12–24. https://doi.org/10.3329/bjme.v15i1.70946

Issue

Vol. 15 No. 1 (2024)

Section

Original Articles

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