Effective Utilization of PDAs

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PowerPoint for NSG 6635Part 3
Kristenia Jones RNC Troy University School of
Nursing Fall 2006
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Effective Nursing Utilization of PDAs at the
Bedside
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"We are drowning in information but starved for
knowledge." -- John Naisbitt
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PDA usage provides the bedside nurse with the
latest information concerning treatments and safe
medication administration. Yet, despite the
documentation supporting use of the PDA, many
nurses are reluctant to adopt the new technology.

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Forrester's Consumers Technographics 2003 North
American Bench Mark Study found that only
559,800 nurses were using PDAs
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This reluctance may be due to a knowledge
deficit regarding basic computer and PDA skills
and the importance of new technology in the
delivery of safe, appropriate healthcare.
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An aging population of nurses who have had little
or no training in the use of information
technology.
Problem 1
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Problem 2

• Insufficient technical training at the
  baccalaureate level.

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Problem 3

• Misconceptions about hardware functionality.

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Problem 4

• Cost PDAs and software can be expensive.
• Many nurses feel the employer should provide the
  PDA just as they provide the monitors and
  thermometers.

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SoWhat is the big deal about PDAs anyway?

• Effective utilization of a PDA at the patient
  bedside is equal to having a world of pertinent
  and timely information if the palm of your hand.

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To many nurses, this is what they think of when
they hear Palm Pilot
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According to the WHO, the Percentages of
physicians (47) and nurses (18) who currently
utilize PDAs in providing patient care.
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To address the education problem, the
National League for Nursing (2002) has made
infusing technology into concepts, structures,
and processes of nursing education one of the
nursing education research priorities in order to
ensure competency of nursing graduates for the
21st century practice.
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SoWhat is a PDA?

• The definition of PDA (Personal Digital
  Assistant) is the common term for any handheld
  mobile computing device that can fit in the palm
  of your hand.
• There are many to choose from.

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History of PDAs
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The first handheld device was developed in the
1984 by Psion. It preformed basic organizer
functions such as storage of appointments and
addresses.
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In 1993 Apple introduced the touch screen and
handwriting recognition capabilities with the
release of the Newton Message-Pad . The
Message-Pad was not widely accepted in the
medical community
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In 1996 US Robotics introduced the first Palm
Pilot

• Unfortunately it served more as an address book
  than a health-care tool.
• The Pilot 1000 listed for 299 and had capacity
• for 500 addresses, 600 appointments,
• 100 to-do items, and 50 memos.
• 
  April 4, 1996
  http//www.cnn.com/TECH/9604/04
  /pocket_computer/

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Todays PDA

• The PDA found in the nurses pocket today is
  capable of enhancing productivity by keeping
  needed information at the bedside, reducing
  medication errors by accurately identifying and
  calculating correct medication and dosing.

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Available Programs for Todays PDA

• Programs available today include entire nursing
  text books, patient tracking tools, nursing
  documentation programs, medication calculators
  and nursing specific drug references

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The 1 Advantages of a PDA

• Accessibility The handheld device is there in
  your pocket, no running back to the nurses
  station to look up information. When minutes
  count, the PDA is ready.

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• Things to consider when purchasing a PDA

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WHAT WILL YOU USE IT FOR?

• Consider your needs and growth
• e.g. do you want phone and email with it or
  just a simple reference tool
• Consider your technology comfort and support

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Other Considerations

• Size, weight
• Screen Resolution
• Memory
• Business, Utility, Games, etc. Applications
• Medical Applications
• Multitasking Capability
• Accessory Availability

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Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (1999,
November). Medication errors and patient safety

• References

Davenport, Colleen What Nurses Need to Know about
Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) Spratley, E.,
Johnson Ph.D, A., Sochalski Ph.D, J., Fritz
M.S., M., Spencer, W. (2000, March). The
Registered Nurse Population. Diabetes nurses use
PDAs in patient care
The PDA cortex
Hassett Mimi. (2002, February). PDAs Leading the
information revolution.
McConnell EA. (2004, May) Get the right
information to the right people at the right time
Nursing Management
Rosenthal Kelli. Touch vs.tech Valuing
nursing-specific PDA software
World Health Organization (2004) Positioning
Technology to Serve Global Heart Health
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The End

• Thank you