Development and Validation of a Smartphone Application for Orthopedic Residency Education

Abstract: Introduction: Mobile learning offers several benefits, such as new learning environments. We developed and validated a smartphone application for orthopedics and traumatology residents in an attempt to assist their study and, consequently, pass the Board of Orthopedics and Traumatology Exam. Methods: quantitative study, aimed at the validation of a mobile application. It was developed for the iOS® and Android® platforms, in the Portuguese language, and free of charge. 132 participants, divided into three groups, used the tool. A validated questionnaire - System SUS Scale (SUS) - and a questionnaire created by the authors (properly validated) were used to assess the practicality and viability of the application as a learning tool. The mode, the absolute frequency and the percentage of the studied variables were crossed by Fisher's test or Pearson's chi-square test. Results: of the 132 participants, 55.3% have iOS®. All participants said they had already used an application on their smartphones, whereas 6 (4.5%) mentioned never having used applications for academic purposes (p value <0.001). 100% said it was a useful technology in the resident's theoretical development. 124 (93.9%) agreed it was an auxiliary learning method for orthopedic doctors in general. An average SUS score of 84.2 (SD 10.8) was obtained with a margin of error of 1.9. The SUS score varied between 82.4 and 86.1 (95% CI). Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.797. Conclusion: the developed application was successful in the tests performed and can be an alternative in medical education in the orthopedic area.