An Improving Prognosis For PDAs In Healthcare

[Brad Adrian]

Until fairly recently, the use of PDAs within the healthcare industry has been very sporadic and entirely informal; it seems as though neither physicians nor hospitals were quite sure what do to with these increasingly powerful tools.<br /><br />That's beginning to change, though, and an article on the <a href="http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,,1605585,00.asp?kc=ewnws060204dtx1k0800599">eWeek </a> Web site describes just how things are progressing. Healthcare organizations are recognizing the diverse ways they can use PDAs:<br /><br />• Point of care assistance—drug information, clinical guidelines, decision aids, patient education <br />• Patient information—patient tracking, clinical results <br />• Administrative functions—electronic prescribing, coding, tracking schedules <br />• Research activities—data collection, participant education <br />• Medical education—lecture notes, presentations, photographs and diagrams <br /><br />Be sure to read the whole eWeek article because it makes some good points about what it will take to get more doctors to use PDAs. I'm doing my part by helping my technophobic physician brother, who was given a new iPAQ 2215 by his hospital for downloading patient updates and test results. I just wish they made a white SCOTTeVEST for him to wear to work!

[C Brandt]

Vets are using PDAs as well. Not as many of us, but we are... While the human docs have access to a large number of medical reference e-books, we're just getting started and only have a few available.

At UC Davis, we're working to create applications that help the students with their daily lives as well as their studies. They can download their personalized schedules, study for board exams, and use the PDAs wirelessly to get full read access to the entire electronic medical record.

While human docs are primarily Palm users -- and seem to be staying that way from what I've been reading, many of the students here are buying Pocket PCs for their additional functionality.

More info on PDA use in veterinary medicine can be found at http://vetpda.ucdavis.edu and http://www.anmldr.com

[Brad Adrian]

Thanks for the great post and update about what's going on in your profession.

[SassKwatch]

I work at a large teaching institution (not an MD), and tech usage (or at least 'computing' tech...regardless of the platform) in general among physicians strikes me as no different among them than any other group of people. I.e., the younger they are, the more apt they are to gravitate to it willingly and with enthusiasm. The older they are, the stronger the tendency to resist. General rules of thumb, of course.

IOW, l see lots of interns/residents carrying pda's, but a decidedly smaller % of Medical Directors, etc. So, if you're a hotshot young developer looking to get your feet wet in the medical s/w field (check out the prices on some packages at pdamd.com), develop a good working relationship with the nearest medical school. Get 'em hooked while they're young. Just be aware that you will be working with a VERY finicky group of folks. The upside is....if you do a 'professional' job, they'll be good as gold. :)

[Gavin Henriques]

When I began my residency I was using a Psion Series3 at the time. Also, the residency program gave us HP 200 clamshell DOS machines. I used them for reference books, tracking patients and procedures as well as syncing my rotation schedules. When Windows CE came out I began using an HP 620lx and seem to be upgrading or changing devices every 6months.

While in residency, the number of residents using PDA's grew dramatically. SassKwatch said it well. The younger generation is more open to trying new tech toys versus the "good ole boys" who are satisfied without. Physicians are definitely a hard sell! As the older generation moves on, more and more will come to rely on mobilke technology. As it is, many hospitals use mobile devices to allow physicians, nurses and pharmacists to communicate, send prescriptions, orders, lab results... The field is ready for an explosion. I believe that there are grants available from the federal gov. to help support any endeavor that will help transform medicine from paper to electronic. I have already made that switch!!

Thanks for the link Brad! :) Also, what a great idea... the SCOTTeVEST Lab Coat! 8O