Nurses' Perceptions of Using Personal Digital Assistants in Tertiary Hospitals

Personal digital assistants can perform multiple functions such as Internet search, documentation, calculating, and barcode scanning. This study examined nurses' perceptions of personal digital assistants used as a barcode scanner for medication administration, blood transfusions, and blood collection. A total of 236 nurses participated in the survey using the instrument developed by the researchers. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics, one-way analysis of variance, and the Scheffe test. Written responses to the advantages and drawbacks of using personal digital assistants were categorized by meaning. The results showed that the nurses perceived more drawbacks than advantages in using personal digital assistants because of nonworking barcodes, prescription practice requiring additional scanning, poor interfacing between personal digital assistants and the EMR, and frequent Wi-Fi disconnection. The drawbacks resulted in delays in nursing workflow for patient care. Therefore, increasing the availability of barcode scanning for all medications applicable to personal digital assistant use, redesigning the practice of current prescriptions to eliminate additional scanning, and seamless interfacing between personal digital assistants and EMRs should be considered. This enables the nurses to use personal digital assistants more efficiently and effectively for patient care.