Exploring the Role of WhatsApp in Strengthening the Delivery of Medical Education and Clinical Teaching

Abstract

Abstract The training imparted to medical students during their undergraduation period has to be multifaceted to ensure that upon the completion of the training, we succeed in producing competent medical graduates. The purpose of the current review was to explore the utility of WhatsApp in the delivery of medical education and clinical teaching. An extensive search of all materials related to the topic was carried out on the PubMed search engine, and a total of 14 articles were selected based on their suitability with the current review objectives. Keywords used in the search include social media, WhatsApp, and medical education in the title alone only. WhatsApp is the instant messaging applications, and with time, it has been observed that it has become an integral part of the community of medical students worldwide. Utilizing the medium of WhatsApp can prove to be an effective approach to bridge the existing gap between teachers and students predominantly because of the flexibility, instant messaging, and sharing additional information with the students for additional reading. To conclude, the delivery of medical education has shown significant transformation over the years to meet the needs of learners. Acknowledging the potential of WhatsApp, its user-friendly nature, and its popularity among medical students, it is very much necessary to utilize the medium for the delivery of the curriculum beyond college hours and at their time of convenience.