The use of
information and communication
technology by
South African
physiotherapy students
Michael Rowe (Msc Physiotherapy)
Department of Physiotherapy
University of the Western Cape

Global shift towards the use
of ICT in healthcare and
education

Social media and networks
Social networking, consumer-
related online forum discussion
and multimedia on demand
Social networks are their frames
of reference

The Net Generation
Unprecedented access to technology
and are comfortable using it
Evidence suggests that they may be
different in how they think,
communicate and choose to learn

Question and problem
Little evidence could be found on the use of ICT by South
African physiotherapy students
Massification and Internationalisation
How can ICT be used to educate and support this new
generation of future healthcare professionals?

Aim and Objectives
Aim:
To investigate the use of ICT by South African physiotherapy students, as a
means of enhancing their education, as well as the experiences and
perceptions of these students pertaining to the use of ICT as a means of
seeking and receiving support.
Objectives:
What ICT resources are available to students;
What ICT is being used for;
Students' experiences and perceptions of ICT;
How students are being supported;
Are they adequately prepared to access support post-graduation;
What differences exist?

Background
Definition: the use of computers and computer software
to manipulate information
WHO, UNICEF have discussed the benefits of ICT in
education and healthcare
“Socially acceptable technology”

Benefits of ICT in education
Coursework accessible
anywhere, anytime
Promotes active engagement
with content
Enhances problem-based
learning
Improves information
gathering skills
Improves communication
between lecturers and
students

Resources? What resources?
Some African countries have difficulty providing students
with access to technology. Not all countries have this
problem.

E-learning is not the (only) answer
E-learning must add value, not
replace
Technology does not solve
problems

ICT in healthcare
Continuing professional development is facilitated
and students and professionals supported clinically
through ICT
Evidence based practice difficult to implement
Geographical isolation means poor support and a
lack of opportunities
An estimated 30% of a doctors time will be
spent using a computer. Are healthcare
students ready for this?

Challenges and gaps
Challenges facing adoption of ICT
Digital divide
Poor infrastructure
High costs involved
Poor ICT literacy
Lack of technical skills
Gaps in the literature
Little evidence was found on the use of ICT by
South African physiotherapy students

Methodology
Study design: cross-sectional, descriptive survey
Setting: physiotherapy departments of 6 universities
offering the physiotherapy degree
Sample: all undergraduate physiotherapy students
who responded
Instrument design: self-developed questionnaire,
focus groups, pilot study
Data analysis: OpenOffice spreadsheet and SPSS
Ethical clearance obtained

Procedure
Identify universities
Send advance letters
Deliver survey
Surveys completed
Surveys returned

Results
Demographic data
18%
48%
52%
Female
Male
Yes
No
82% Population: 1105
Sample: 529
22%
Response rate 48%
42%
Black
Coloured
Age: 18 - 22 (87%)
Indian
White Female: 82%
24%
White: 41%
12%

Results
Response rate by university
140
25% Western Cape: 12%
120
Stellenbosch: 9%
19%
Other: +/- 7%
100
15%
80
14% 14%
13% Total: 48%
60
40
20
0
Respondants
Cape Town Kwazulu-Natal Limpopo
Stellenbosch Western Cape Witwatersrand

Results
Frequency of use by university
80
70%
70
65%
60
51% 60%
50
40% 45% 49% Daily
40 Weekly
34% Monthly
30%
30 Rarely
24% 27%
25%
20 19%
17%
12%
10 6% 9% 7%
6%
3%
1%
0
Stellenbosch Cape Town Limpopo Kwazulu-Natal Western Cape Witwatersrand
Almost 40% use ICT daily, 35% use it weekly

Results
Reasons for Internet use at university
Assignments: 83%
90
42%
Academic development: 43%
80
70
Personal interest: 48%
60
50 24%
Assignment
Personal in-
Guidance: 23%
22% terest
40 Professional
development
30 Seeking
12% advice
20
10
0
Reasons for Internet use

Results
Students confidence when using ICT
Online search
Email
Printing
Word processing
Presentations Not confident
Uncertain
Confident
Research
Games
Forums
Exercise prescription
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Results
Use of the Internet at university
Search: 83%
Search 83
Databases / journals: +/- 50%
Libraries 63
Email: 48% (26% for support)
Websites 61
Departmental website: 41%
Databases 53
Journals 48
Email 48
Departments 41
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

Experiences and perceptions of ICT
Students who had access to ICT at home (53%) and at high
school (48%) were more likely to have used ICT at university
Most students were satisfied with current levels of support ( >
80%)
Most respondents agreed that ICT has a positive role to play
in supporting students ( > 70%)
78% agree that a strong
support system would positively
influence their decision to work
in a community post

Students more likely to seek support from those most suited
to provide it
Methods: face-to-face (95%), email (25%)

What does this all mean?
Students view ICT as a means of accessing information,
rather than enhancing communication
ICT consistently shown to enhance communication, yet
students fail to use it for this purpose
Many physiotherapy students have had limited or no
access to ICT resources prior to attending university
Reduced levels of confidence using ICT for research

What have we learnt?
ICT has been shown to be a feasible means of
supporting physiotherapy students
Students have the skills to use ICT to seek support and
to enhance their studies, but do not apply them
Inequality in access to technology is still present in South
Africa
The use of ICT in communication, research and CPD
(lifelong learning), was low

How should we proceed?
Physiotherapy departments should consider developing
and implementing a comprehensive ICT strategy
Use ICT to facilitate communication between students
and lecturers
Encourage the use of ICT to encourage undergraduate
research and evidence based practice

What are we doing about it?
OpenPhysio - free, open content physiotherapy resource

Thank you
Contact
mrowe@uwc.ac.za
http://www.mrowe.co.za/blog