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.

摘要：引言：移动学习（mobile learning）具备多项优势，例如可构建全新的学习环境。本研究开发并验证了一款面向骨科与创伤外科住院医师的智能手机应用程序，旨在辅助其学习，进而帮助其顺利通过骨科与创伤外科执业资格考试。方法：本研究为定量研究，旨在验证一款移动应用程序。该应用程序面向iOS®与Android®平台开发，采用葡萄牙语编写，且完全免费。共计132名参与者被分为三组使用该工具。研究采用经过验证的系统SUS量表（System SUS Scale, SUS）以及作者自行编制并经验证的问卷，对该应用程序作为学习工具的实用性与可行性进行评估。针对研究变量的众数、绝对频数与百分比，分别采用Fisher精确检验或Pearson卡方检验进行交叉分析。结果：在132名参与者中，55.3%使用iOS®设备。所有参与者均表示曾在智能手机上使用过应用程序，其中6名（4.5%）提及从未使用过学术用途的应用程序（p值<0.001）。全部参与者均认为该技术有助于住院医师的理论学习。124名（93.9%）参与者认同其可作为骨科医师通用的辅助学习手段。本次研究得到的SUS平均得分为84.2（标准差SD=10.8），误差幅度为1.9；SUS得分的95%置信区间为82.4至86.1。克朗巴哈α系数（Cronbach's alpha coefficient）为0.797。结论：本次开发的应用程序在各项测试中表现优异，可作为骨科领域医学教育的备选方案。