PDAs bring information competence to the point-of-care

The ability of nursing faculty and students to efficiently obtain accurate information at the point-of-care is a critical aspect of providing quality patient care. Personalized Digital Assistants (PDAs) can provide instant access to entire textbooks of information where it is needed most, in the dynamic learning environment of the clinical setting. With a growing trend in higher education to include instruction on information competency in the curriculum, the use of PDAs in nursing education needs to be explored. This article discusses the use of PDAs by faculty and students within one nursing program. Results from a survey of faculty and students demonstrated a clear discrepancy in their use of PDAs. Although students recognized the benefits of PDA use in the clinical setting, they did not want owning a PDA to be a program requirement. Discussed are several approaches being used to overcome identified barriers to PDA use and ownership.