The Reading Habits of Medical Students at Medical College King Saud University

BackgroundUnderstanding the reading habits of medical students provide insights and opportunities for medical educators to evaluate the learning needs of the students and improve the teaching methods. The purpose of the present study was to describe the reading habits of King Saud medical students in a fifth year clinical rotation, which previously have not been described.MethodsA questionnaire was administered to 96 medical students rotating through their fifth year at the King Saud University College of Medicine during 2008-2009 academic years. The questionnaire focused on issues related to the reading habits.ResultsSeventy three of 96 (76%) medical students in a fifth year clinical rotation completed the questionnaire. Students reported reading for an average of 4.3(SD 5) (median three hours per week, range zero to 35 hours per week). The most commonly used and useful reading resource were pocket books and medical text books. Approximately 90% of students reported problems in reading about their patients.ConclusionsStudents spend sufficient amount of time reading medical pocket books and lecture handouts with less time spend on online sources. The majority of students reported problems in reading that medical educators need to address.