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Clinical and educational uses of handheld computers
Dario M Torre1, Scott M Wright
1Department of Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
Southern Medical Journal
|October 23, 2003
Summary
Physicians increasingly use handheld computers, or personal digital assistants (PDAs), for patient data access and clinical references. These devices also aid medical education by tracking patient encounters and procedures, enhancing clinical practice.
Area of Science:
- Medical Informatics
- Clinical Practice Technology
- Medical Education Tools
Background:
- Handheld computers, or personal digital assistants (PDAs), are emerging as essential tools for physicians.
- Their utility spans both clinical practice and medical education settings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the current applications of handheld computers in medicine.
- To explore the impact of PDAs on clinical practice and medical education.
- To describe potential future uses of this technology.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of PDA usage in healthcare.
- Analysis of common clinical and educational applications.
- Discussion of current and prospective functionalities.
Main Results:
- Physicians frequently utilize PDAs for accessing patient data at the point of care.
- PDAs serve as valuable clinical reference tools for healthcare providers.
- In medical education, PDAs are commonly used for logging patient encounters and procedures during training.
Conclusions:
- Handheld computers offer significant benefits for physicians in clinical settings.
- PDAs are valuable assets for medical trainees in tracking progress and learning.
- Adoption of PDA technology is recommended for physicians and educational programs seeking to enhance efficiency and learning.