Related Experiment Videos
Personal digital assistant use by nurse practitioners: a descriptive study
Sally D Stroud1, Carol A Smith, Elizabeth A Erkel
1College of Nursing, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA. stroudsd@musc.edu
Purpose:
We sought to describe the prevalence and patterns of use of personal digital assistants (PDAs) among active nurse practitioners (NPs).
Data Sources:
A descriptive correlational survey was conducted among NPs in the United States (N = 126). Participants were randomly selected from members of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners who had listed a practice site on their application.
Conclusions:
Sixty-four percent of participants used PDAs. A drug reference was reported to be the most useful and frequently installed application. A large majority of PDA users believed that PDA use supported clinical decision making (91%), promoted patient safety (89%), and increased productivity (75%). Sixty-two percent predicted that PDA use would change their practice within the next 5 years.
Implications For Practice:
As innovative PDA applications with potential to improve patient outcomes become increasingly available, handheld computer skills will be a fundamental practice competency. To prevent errors in clinical decision making with quick access to PDA reference materials, NPs must critically evaluate the legitimacy and worth of PDA software programs. There is a critical need to evaluate the effectiveness of PDA use in clinical settings and develop an evidence base to guide use of the PDA in solving clinical problems.
Related Concept Videos
01:30Current Trends in Nursing II
01:21Interdisciplinary Care: The Health Care Team-I
Physicians
The physician's primary responsibility is to diagnose illness and direct the medical or surgical treatment of the condition. The authority to admit patients to a healthcare agency or institution and practice care within that setting is granted to physicians by the healthcare agency or institution itself.
01:21Methods of Documentation III: PIE
01:25Assessment of apical radial pulse
The A-R pulse assessment involves simultaneous evaluation of the apical and radial pulses. When the apical and radial pulse rates vary, this assessment helps identify a pulse deficit.
Pre-Procedural Preparation
01:27Nursing Clinical Information System
A Nursing Clinical Information System (NCIS) is a specialized type of healthcare information system tailored to meet the unique needs of nursing practice. It incorporates the principles of nursing informatics to streamline information management and improve the quality of care delivery.
Critical attributes of NCIS include:
01:05Data Collection III
The principles to begin the physical assessment include conducting a comprehensive or problem-related history in a quiet, well-lit room, emphasizing privacy and comfort for the patient.