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Utility of palmtop computers in a residency program: a pilot study
1Department of Internal Medicine, University of Missouri in Kansas City, USA.
Background:
With advancing technology and flourishing medical information on the Internet, we studied the use of palmtop (handheld) computers by internal medicine residents.
Methods:
At a university-community hospital consortium, nine internal medicine residents and their program director participated in an 8-month cohort pilot study using palmtop computers with desktop synchronization and Internet access capabilities.
Results:
After 2 months of use, the residents had found a variety of uses for palmtop computers, such as the calendar, downloading residency-provided medical information, taking lecture notes, using a spreadsheet for common formulas, Internet/MEDLINE searching with modem access, infrared file transfer, downloading call schedules, and patient tracking. At 8 months, the residents were comfortable using palmtops on a daily basis. Technical difficulties included cumbersome modem cords, incompatible platforms and difficult Internet access at times, finding analog telephone lines in the hospital, and synchronization with home computers.
Conclusion:
Palmtop computers are useful in the residency setting, and residents are capable of devising ways to use palmtops to suit their individual needs.
