A review of the use of Computer and Internet Services in a Lagos Tertiary Institution

Abstract

The availability of information on medicine and related subjects cannot be over estimated on the Internet. Some tertiary institutions in most of the developing countries, in particular Nigeria, do not have access to the Internet. This may be due to the high cost of the Internet connectivity, inadequate basic infrastructure and also to the lack of knowledge on the use of the computer and Internet. The penetration of computers and Internet technology into all corners of professional life will influence the way students and members of staff communicate and work. This article presents basic information on the application of Internet in the fields of medicine, nutrition and health, furthermore identifies the attitude of students and staff of the College of Medicine of the University of Lagos (CMUL) to the newly introduced computer Laboratory and Internet Services. The CMUL is a modern tertiary institution, situated in Lagos, Southwest Nigeria. The methodology employed in this study was stratified distribution of questionnaires to both students and members of staff of different categories. The knowledge of the existence of the Computer laboratory and Internet services on the third floor of the Medical Library, and previous computer experience was sought. The attitude of users to current price charge, location as well as the staff providing the services was also studied. The major findings indicate that many were computer literate and also users of the services provided in the CMUL. The major activity performed on the Internet was e-mail. This study shows the need to introduce measures for improved services by eliminating the telephone dialing time delay and power outages from public electric supply.



Key words: Internet, Information Technology, Library and Medical Education


[Nig. Jnl Health & Biomedical Sciences Vol.1(1) 2002: 13-21]