Pedagogical sciences/Problems of specialists training

Candidate of pedagogic sciences Bogdanova T.L.

Donetsk National Medical University named after M.Gorkij, Ukraine

Problem of Medical Universities Students’ Information Culture Development

At the present time information and computer technologies are integral part of any life sphere as to the society in whole and every person separately. Processing of existing information and development of new data objects are performed every day. In connection with this problem of information culture forming, clarification of the content and structure, taking into account realities of time, is one of the most live issues of modern pedagogics and teaching methods of general-theoretical and specialist disciplines.

There are four main directions distinguished while determining information culture, depending on the object of activities as follows: information culture of the person, information culture of the society, information culture as the branch of culture and information culture as the methodologies of knowledge [1].

The term “personal information culture” is typically used by people working in sphere of new educational technologies. Information culture of specialist is of particular interest for investigators of modern education environment. Personal information culture of specialist means a body of knowledge, skills and experience of searching, processing, storage and development of information objects, using typical for this sphere new information technologies, understanding a necessity of using information resources of modern society and professional occupation.

At that model of specialists’ information culture can be presented by two components: information and computer competence (two-component model of information culture) [2].

It stands to reason that specific nature of the man’s professional activities will determine distinguishing features of information flows, attending activities and as a result specifying information technologies, required for the professional activities implementation. Although the question of technical, construction, pedagogical profile specialists’ information culture development has received wide coverage in scientific and methodical literature, the investigations analyzing characteristics of medical students’ culture formation are particularly non-existent at the present time.

However, in medicine information technologies are used as at the level of presentation and storage of information, so at the level of analysis of data received during monitoring or experiments. For example, one of the most relevant issues for medical students’ education is training for experimental data analyzing within the framework of experimental medicine. This direction foresees statistical analysis performance, confirmation or rejection of hypothesis about equation of medium, revealing of correlation relations by means of modern information technologies.

Consequently, the following problem appeared: what information technologies and methods of information processing should be mastered by student of medical university, so that to admit the level of information culture enough for professional and scientific-and-research activities?

Department of Medical Biophysics, Health Informatics and Biostatistics of Donetsk National Medical University named after M.Gorkij (Liman) has made an analysis of information products, used in professional activities of medical personnel and medical investigations so that to solve the specified problem. Used information products were sorted as follows:

- text processing programs (MS Word),

- packages of mathematical statistics (StatPlus, Statistica 6.0, MedStat),

- packages for mathematical processing of data (Exel, MathCad),

- Іnternet viewers;

- means of interactive communication (e-mail, Skype, Viber);

- facilities for data presentation (PowerPoint).

List of the present means with a description of functional designation was proposed to interns, attending a course of Health informatics at the Department, so that to determine its’ importance according to 10-score scale in professional and scientific and research activities. 21 interns took part in the survey. Interns’ specialties are as follows: dermatovenerology, phthisiology, clinical oncology, chemotherapy, radiology, pediatry, neonatology, obstetrics and gynaecology, legal medicine, traumatology. The survey was conducted anonymously in the period from September 2015 to April 2016.

As a result of the research we revealed that the most important for professional activity of medical worker are the following means: Іnternet viewer: 8,22 ± 0, 21, means for interactive communication: 8,01±0,14 and facilities for data presentation: 5,12±0,16 (records in scores In the present investigation are presented as follows: mean value ± standard deviation). Other means importance for professional activities is evaluated no less than 4 scores. Significantly higher scores was received by the mentioned software tools, used in the research medical activities: packages of mathematic statistics: 9,74±0,12, facilities for data presentation: 8,56 ± 0,21, text processing applications: 8,41 ±0,24 and Іnternet viewers: 7,69 ± 0,51.

Generally we can say that mastering of the mentioned software tools should be the base of computer competence of medical officer, being one of components of information culture.

At the same time all respondents noticed the fact that statistic data processing means are instrumental during experimental data processing. Besides in interns’ opinion it’s difficult to use modern software tools, because there are no plans of actions in manuals for software tools. Consequently so that to use them the user should have some knowledge in statistical analysis specific features, have a basic knowledge and understanding about required and satisfactory conditions of confirmation or reject of the suggested hypothesis.

Therefore within the framework of medical worker information culture forming theory we can make the conclusion: knowledge and understanding of statistic information processing algorithm, skills to interpret results of processing of experimental data, received by means of software tools, are components of information competence of medical specialist, being the part of information culture of top qualification medical specialist.

Generally, we can summarize the conducted investigation as follows:

1. Information culture of high level certificate medical specialist, as well as of specialist of any other profile, comprises of two components: information competence and computer knowledge.

2. To master professional level of computer competence the physician should be able to use Іnternet viewers, means of interactive communication, packages of statistic information processing, text processing applications and means of visual information presentation. The most important for research activities is a skillful acquirement by statistic data processing.

3. Forming of prospective physician’ information competence is the problem field. This is particularly so with mathematic information processing, including the same of statistic character, being a result of medical research. It’s important to pay attention to distinguishing features of information culture component formation during Heath informatics, evidentiary medicine, biostatistics research.

References:

1. Asherov А.Т., Bogdanova Т.L. Information culture of engineering students as category of engineering pedagogy.// Problems of engineering and pedagogic education: Edited volume – Charkiv: UIPA, 2004. – Ed . 6. – p. 28-34.

2. Asherov А.Т., Bogdanova Т.L. Computer and information competence of engineering students as components of information culture. // Problems of engineering and pedagogic education: Edited volume – Charkiv: UIPA, 2004. – Ed. 7. – p. 151-162.