Personal data assistants: using new technology to enhance nursing practice

Area of Science:

• Nursing Informatics
• Health Technology Assessment

Background:

• Nurses require timely, accurate information for effective patient care.
• Traditional print resources are often outdated by the time of use.
• Accessing web-based information during patient encounters is frequently impractical.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the utility of personal data assistants (PDAs) in enhancing nursing care.
• To identify general and healthcare-specific applications of PDAs for nurses.
• To guide nurses in selecting appropriate PDAs and applications.

Main Methods:

• Review of personal data assistant technology and applications relevant to nursing.
• Discussion of factors influencing PDA adoption by nurses.
• Categorization of PDA uses from general organization to clinical decision support.

Main Results:

• PDAs provide immediate access to current information at the point of care.
• General PDA applications include calendars, address books, and reminders.
• Specific healthcare applications include patient tracking, pharmacologic databases, and clinical decision support tools.

Conclusions:

• PDAs significantly augment comprehensive nursing care by providing instant access to critical data.
• Nurses should consider specific factors when choosing a PDA for optimal application in their practice.
• The integration of PDAs represents a valuable advancement in nursing informatics.