Resumo

BERENGUER GOUARNALUSES, Juan Arturo et al. Use of information and communication technologies for self-learning among medical sciences students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rev. cuba. inf. cienc. salud [online]. 2022, vol.33  Epub 30-Jun-2022. ISSN 2307-2113.

The current situation brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the need to gear the medical education teaching-learning process toward virtuality. This study aimed to characterize the use of information and communication technologies for self-learning among medical sciences students during the COVID-19 pandemic in Cuba. A multicenter cross-sectional observational descriptive study was conducted of Medical Sciences students in Cuba in the month of July 2020. The sample was 354 students selected by snowball sampling. Data collection was based on a form obtained from Google Forms. A predominance was found of female students (53.67%) and medical undergraduate training (67.23%). Of the students surveyed, 89.27% used mobile phones to study, whereas for 91.24% WhatsApp was the main data sharing tool. 95.76% used resources available in Infomed. 11.86% of the students reported participation in virtual courses about COVID-19, and 11.29% in some sort of virtual scientific event related to the pandemic. Identification was made of the use of information and communications technologies by medical sciences students in Cuba, with a profitable use of the resources made available by the Infomed network. This made it possible to go on with the teaching-learning process despite the limitations imposed by the pandemic. Smartphones and social networks enhanced the teaching-learning process.

Palavras-chave : information technology; telemedicine; medical education; biomedical technology; technological development; coronavirus infections.