engleski

Use of Internet and online technology expectations during medical conferences among participants of European Resuscitation Council (ERC) Courses. Preliminary data from a questionnaire study

Purpose of the study: Implementation of online technologies into conferences can bring many benefits to participants, including active participation, interactive tracking of events and better networking.[1] We aimed to investigate Internet habits among ERC courses participants and to identify online technologies they want to use during medical conferences. Materials and methods: A total of 235 (15%) of 1600 participants of ERC courses in Austria and Croatia completed an online survey from 22nd of May until 1st of June 2012. Median age of participants was 37 years (range 25–66) (female – 56%, medical doctors – 70%, course in Austria – 75%, instructor of at least one ERC course – 47%). The survey consisted of 29 questions, including those about Internet and mobile technology habits, use of Internet during conferences, and demographic data. Results: Our participants were avid Internet users, with 83% of them going online several times a day. To access the Internet, most of them used laptop (79%) and desktop computers (60%), as well as mobile phones (60%). More participants owned smartphones (67%) than basic mobile phones (33%). Ninety six percent took mobile phones to the last conference they attended, while only 33% brought laptops. During conferences, many of participants accessed the Internet to learn more about a certain topic (80%) and speaker (54%). Among the most desired online features for medical conferences, participants highlighted an archive of lecture slideshows (91%) and video recordings (75%), free Internet access (81%), live online streaming of lectures (58%), and a dedicated mobile application (50%). Most also wanted printed booklets (86%). Conclusions: Our results suggest that participants of ERC courses are dedicated Internet and mobile technology users. They frequently bring their smartphones to medical conferences and expect interactive multimedia content, which should be provided by organizers in order to create more engaging experiences.

Internet, online technology, ERC courses, participants

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