Technology enhanced learning in undergraduate health professions education: An Indian perspective

Introduction: Health professions education in India is moving to an outcome based curriculum. Technology is known to facilitate acquisition of higher levels of knowledge and skills and also aid in assessing competencies. Objective: To find the role technology plays in undergraduate health professions education in India To compare its effectiveness to traditional educational methods To study the undergraduate students' perceptions regarding use of technology for teaching-learning Material and Methods: A review of articles pertaining to use of technology in India in the last 10 years was carried out in Pub Med and Ovid MD. 16 articles were included in the review after screening. Results: Technology has been incorporated in supplementing face to face instruction to enhance knowledge, clinical decision making, developing communication skills, and assessment of outcomes. There was mixed evidence as to its effectiveness. Students perceive the usefulness of technology in education and have a positive attitude towards it. Conclusion: There is a wide scope to introduce use of technology for online instruction, skills training and assessment. More evidence needs to be generated regarding its effectiveness in improving knowledge in the Indian context, so that our decisions can be based on evidence. Faculty training programs for use of technology will help in creation of resources and its implementation in curriculum.