The role of Internet and its addiction among medical students in a tertiary care teaching hospital

Santosh Kumar  Banjara; Kavitha Devi Bhukya

Volume : IV, Issue : VIII, August - 2015

The role of Internet and its addiction among medical students in a tertiary care teaching hospital

Santosh Kumar Banjara, Kavitha Devi Bhukya

Abstract :

Background: India is now one of the world�s largest national digital population. Internet is a tool for any person for communication and connection with coworkers. Aims: The role of internet and its addiction among medical students in a tertiary care teaching hospital. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among medical students (n = 300) to assess the pattern of internet usage. A semistructured proforma along with Young�s Internet Addiction scale was used. Results: Out of 300 medical students, 62% were females and 38% were males. The users were divided into groups: 64.6% as average users, 12% as possible addicts, 2.3% as addicts, and in 21% of medical students internet usage was less than average user. Significant usage differences were evident based on the gender of user. Medical students used the internet mostly for non-academic purposes (76.7%) and for academic purposes (23.3%). About 80.7% of the medical students were using mobile phones to access the internet. Conclusion: Internet usage for the non-academic purpose (Facebook, WhatsApp, Mails etc.) was very high among the medical students. Availability of high speed internet on mobile phones may be the reason for spending more time on social network websites.