Using tablet PCs as fieldwork instruments in health promotion practice

The Tablet PC is a newer technology tool that has applications for fieldwork in public health practice. The purpose of the poster is twofold 1) to describe this new technology and its application to field settings in public health practice; 2) to present findings from a pilot study that utilized the Tablet PC by a group of 26 health promotion students working in field practice settings. It is hoped this poster can communicate the value of this technology to health promotion ractice. The Tablet PC is one of the newest technologies for learning and has tremendous potential applications for public health practice. The design of the Tablet PC with its handwriting conversion to text, as well as, voice recognition to text should enhance the way students perform during field experiences.

The purpose of this project is to determine how a small group (N=26) of health promotion students evaluated the use of the Tablet PC as a new technology for enhanced performance in the field. The specific aims were as follows: 1). Determine student interest in using this new technology, 2). Determine student satisfaction with use of the Tablet PC in fieldwork settings. Each public health professional who received a Tablet PC was asked to participate in a survey about its utility, and the pros and cons of using Tablet PCs in the field and in the classroom. Findings from the survey will be presented and lessons learned about this emerging technological advancement for field work in health promotion.