No abstract

The Brazilian public healthcare system (SUS - Brazilian Healthcare System) provides free dental care, covering almost half of the Brazilian population. Providing continuing education to thousands of professionals is a difficult and expensive task given the country’s large size. SUS' Open University in partnership with public universities provides ongoing education to thousands of healthcare professionals using technological resources for distance learning. A distance learning course, in the MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) modality, was developed to provide continuing medical education for dental surgeons to assist patients with chronic diseases. The course is free and has registered 13,089 participants. Aim: The purpose of this study is to present the profile of the MOOC course participants. Methods: Secondary data were obtained from Federal Council of Dentistry, the National Registry of Health Facilities, the National Institute for Educational Studies and Research Anísio Teixeira and the Registry of Higher Education Institutions and Courses (e-MEC). Data of the MOOC course were collected in the Arouca Platform. Results: Dentists in Brazil are predominantly female. However, in some specialties there are more men than women. The majority of participants on the course were female 73.5% and in the age group of 21-40 years. Conclusion: This phenomenon is similar to other countries, and needs to be better investigated in Brazil, so that public policies of continuing education of healthcare professionals by means of distance learning, may take the profession's feminisation into consideration.

Objective: to identify the factors associated with the academic use of smartphones in medical students from 40 faculties in Latin America. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in medical students from 40 faculties in Latin America. A questionnaire was used to measure the academic use of Smartphone, and its association with socio-academic variables, training in scientific databases and appreciation of technologies provided by the university. Multilevel random effects models were used to estimate prevalence ratios. The contribution of each co-variable was evaluated using nested models using the log-likelihood ratio test. Results: We surveyed 11587 participants. 40.9% belonged to academic groups. 68.2% reported using a Smartphone for academic purposes. A positive association was found between academic use of Smartphone and female sex (PR: 1.16, 95% CI: 1.06-1.26, p = 0.001), from Paraguay (PR: 1.44, 95% CI: 1.33-1.55, p < 0.001), carry out clinical cycles (PR: 1.12, IC95%: 1.03-1.23, p = 0.012), training in SCOPUS (PR: 1.26, IC95%: 1.17-1.35, p <0.001) and belonging to research groups (PR : 1.23, 95% CI: 1.13-1.34, p <0.001). In multiple regression, students affiliated with academic groups had 18% less prevalence of Smartphone academic use (PR: 0.82, 95% CI: 0.75-0.89, p <0.001). Discussion: Most students used Smartphone for academic purposes. The affiliation to academic groups seems to reduce the prevalence of its use. More evidence is needed on the factors related to the use of information technologies such as the Smartphone, particularly in the student-physician population. Keywords: Smartphone, information and communication technologies, medical student, medical education.

Background Smartphones have become a part of universal technology by combining mobile and handheld functions, enabling expanded access to health information sources available on the Internet. The purpose of this study was to describe the pattern of smartphones and Internet use to search for health information by parents of children with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Methods In a cross-sectional study, a questionnaire was applied to 111 parents of patients in a Brazilian pediatric nephrology center. Descriptive assessments were performed on Internet use patterns, and associative analyses were made of the influence of the smartphone use pattern on the search for health information. Results Of the 111 participants, 91% (101/111) accessed the Internet, 88% (89/101) searched for health information, and 90% (80/89) searched for CKD information. Smartphones were the most commonly used devices to access the Internet. There was no significant difference between age groups, schooling levels, places of residence and smartphone use to search information about CKD. Physicians continue to be primary sources of information (87%, 88/101), but now they share space with the Internet, which surpassed traditional sources such as books and other health professionals. There seems to be some discomfort on the part of the parents in admitting their research habit to the physician, considering that 65% (52/80) said they did not discuss the fact that they had looked for information on the Internet with their doctor. Obtaining more information about the disease and gaining knowledge regarding its complications were the main reasons that led to performing a search on the Internet, whose results were considered useful by 93% (74/80). Conclusion Parents of children with CKD have been using the Internet largely through smartphones to research about CKD, irrespective of age, schooling and place of residence. Given its wide use, the Internet can be an important vehicle for health education and contribute to providing the support needed by parents and patients to cope with the disease.