Registered Nurses And The Use of Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs)

1
Registered Nurses And The Use of Personal Digital
Assistants (PDAs)

• Presented By Tina Holton

2
Objectives

• Describe the use of personal digital assistants
  (PDAs) by registered nurses
• Describe and evaluate the hardware and software
  utilized with PDAs
• Describe and assess the usability of the Palm OS
  software

3
Objectives

• Describe and review the MobileNurse information
  system
• Describe the advantages and disadvantages of
  using a PDA
• Describe ethical and legal issues regarding the
  use of PDAs

4
Objectives

• Describe the nursing competencies required by a
  professional nurse working with a PDA
• Describe the functions and responsibilities of
  an informatics nurse working with PDA technology

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What is a PDA?

• Small, handheld computer
• Most use a stylus to communicate with touch pad
  screen
• Some use a directional pad and thumb keyboard
• Basic functions
• Cost

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PDAs and Nurses

• Why are more Nurses using a PDA?
• What are nurses doing with their PDA?
• Documentation
• Drug Reference
• Medication Calculations
• Disease Reference

(Enger, 2001)
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Real Life Examples

• Visiting Nurses Association of Orange County, CA
• Dramatically decreased charting time (Nurses,
  physicians, 2001)
• Grady Health System in Atlanta, GA
• PDA pain scale takes only 1 minute to complete
  (Price, 2001)
• West Georgia Health System in LaGrange, GA
• One less hour charting per 12 hour shift (Price,
  2001)

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PDA Hardware

• Outer casing
• Visual display or touch screen
• Stylus or keyboard
• Expansion slots
• Battery
• Graphics card
• Speakers

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PDA Hardware Continued

• Central processing unit
• Motherboard
• Hard Disk
• Internal Memory
• Expandable Memory
• Wireless adaptor or card
• (McGonigle Mastrian, 2009)

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Wireless Adapter or Card

• How does a wireless adapter work?
• Communicates with a wireless router
• PDAs pick up radio waves from wireless router
• Why is having Wi-Fi so important?
• Access to hospitals online network
• Communication
• Automatic software updates

(Brian Wilson, 2009)
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Basic PDA Software

• Operating System
• Palm OS or Palm OS II
• Windows Mobile
• Word processing
• Spreadsheets
• E-mail
• Internet browser
• Calculator
• Calendar

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Nursing-Specific Software

• Daviss Drug Guide for Nurses
• Diseases and Disorders A Nursing Therapeutics
  Manual
• Mosbys Diagnostic and Laboratory Text Reference
• Tabers Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary
• Archimedes Medical calculator
• DocuCare and other documenting programs
• (Required PDA, 2009)

13
Palm OS Operating Software

• Main operating system of many PDAs
• Controls and manages other software and hardware
• Makes using PDA easier and more efficient

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Usability of Palm OS

• Axiom 1 Users must be an early and continuous
  focus during interface design
• Easy to use desktop
• Options for inputting data

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Usability of Palm OS

• Axiom 2 Design process should be iterative,
  allowing for evaluation and correction of
  identified problems
• Online Updates allow for correction of problems
• Customer support

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Usability of Palm OS

• Axiom 3 Formal evaluation should take place
  using rigorous experimental and/or qualitative
  methods
• Developer testing
• Beta testing

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MobileNurse Information System

• What is MobileNurse?
• Four main components
• Medical order checking module
• Nurse recording module
• Nursing unit care planning module
• Patient information management module

(Choi et al., 2008)
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Architecture of the MobileNurse System
(Choi et al., 2008)
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Review of MobileNurse System

• What type of information system is this?
• Clinical
• Who uses MobileNurse
• Nurses, physicians, pharmacists, x-ray
  technicians, laboratory technicians
• Functions

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Review of MobileNurse System
?

• Configuration
• Point of Care
• Local Area Network
• What we dont know about this system
• Recommending this system to others?

?
?
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Advantages of Using a PDA

• Saves time
• Less time charting
• More time at the bedside
• Easily accessible
• Ease of use

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Disadvantages of Using a PDA

• Battery life
• Unfamiliarity
• Limited software
• Cost

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Ethical Legal Issues

• HIPAA is main concern
• Need to
• Have password technology
• Have access controls
• Keep device with you at all times
• (Rosenthal, 2004)

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Informatics Competencies Required

• Basic PDA use
• Knowledge of how to sync to the hospital network
• HIPAA requirements
• Familiarity with charting programs

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Functions Responsibilities of Informatics Nurses

• Investigates and helps develop PDA software
• Implements the use of PDAs in clinical settings
• Analyzes the use of PDAs
• Works to make PDA use as effective and reliable
  as possible

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Summary

• What PDAs are used for
• Palm OS and MobileNurse software
• Advantages and disadvantages of PDAs
• Ethical and legal issues
• Competencies required
• Responsibilities of an informatics nurse

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References

• (2001, October). Nurses, physicians increase PDA
  usage. Health Management Technology, 22(10), 10. 
  Retrieved September 18, 2009, from ABI/INFORM
  Global. (Document ID 82454942).
• (2009). PDA buying guide. Save Buckets. Retrieved
  from http//www.savebuckets.co.uk/buying-guides/of
  fice-computing/pda.php.
• (2009). Required PDA hardware and software.
  University of Alabama. Retrieved from
  http//nursing.ua.edu/pda_hardware_and_software.ht
  m.

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References

• Brian, M., Wilson, T. (2009). How wifi works.
  How stuff works. Retrieved from
  http//computer.howstuffworks.com/wireless-network
  1.htm.
• Broida, N. (2009, February 18). PDA prizefight.
  Cnet.com. Retrieved from http//reviews.cnet.com/4
  520-3127_7-5120845-1.html?tagnav.
• Cassey, M. (2007). Keeping up with existing and
  emerging technologies an introduction to
  PDAs. Nursing Economics, 25(2), 121-3, 135. 

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References

• Choi, J., Chun, J., Lee, K., Lee, S., Shin, D.,
  Hyun, D., Kim, D. (2008). MobileNurse
  hand-held information system for point of nursing
  care. Computer Methods and Programs in
  Biomedicine, 74(3), 245-254.
• Enger, J. (2001). PDAs A hands-down winner with
  nurses. Nursing Management Critical Care Choices
  2001, 50-53. Retrieved November 21, 2009, from
  ABI/INFORM Global. (Document ID 73060522).
• McGonigle, D., Mastrain, K. (2009). Nursing
  informatics and the foundation of knowledge.
  Sudbury, MA Jones and Bartlett Publishers.

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References

• Price, D. (2001, September 21). Software improves
  quality of patient care. Emory Report. Retrieved
  from http//www.emory.edu/EMORY_REPORT/erarchive/2
  001/September/erSept.17/9_17_01infotech.html.
• Rosenthal, K. (2004). Get "smart" with a
  PDA. Nursing Management, 35, 17-18. Retrieved
  November 21, 2009, from ABI/INFORM Global.
  (Document ID 720793441).