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Abstract

This document discusses personal digital assistants (PDAs), which can increase healthcare professionals' productivity by providing access to clinical and reference materials. It explains that while PDAs are useful tools, selecting the right device can be challenging due to the many styles, brands, and models available. The document aims to analyze the PDA selection process and provide information on common features, operating systems, examples of clinical software, and considerations for choosing a PDA to suit an advanced practice nurse's needs.

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Trupti N Chigari
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52 views2 pages

Abstract

This document discusses personal digital assistants (PDAs), which can increase healthcare professionals' productivity by providing access to clinical and reference materials. It explains that while PDAs are useful tools, selecting the right device can be challenging due to the many styles, brands, and models available. The document aims to analyze the PDA selection process and provide information on common features, operating systems, examples of clinical software, and considerations for choosing a PDA to suit an advanced practice nurse's needs.

Uploaded by

Trupti N Chigari
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Personal Digital Assistant

Abstract:
Since their introduction in the last decade of the twentieth century, personal
digital assistants (PDAs) have become useful tools for personal information
management. For healthcare professionals, these devices can increase
productivity by providing ready access to large amounts of clinical and
reference material. Yet, the wide assortment of available PDA styles,
brands, and models can make the job of selecting a device that will best
suit a particular clinician's needs quite challenging.

This article will explain the basics of PDA operation, including common
PDA terms and features. Products will be discussed systematically by style,
operating system (OS), brand, and model, the process of choosing a
particular device will be analyzed and demystified. Buying considerations
such as memory size and differences in processor speed across styles will
be explained, and examples of clinical software relevant to advanced
practice nursing (APN) practice will be presented. This will enable the
reader to make a more informed choice when buying a PDA.

Introduction:
In the past several years, the concept of a versatile, multifunctional,
handheld computing device has become reality with the advent of PDAs.
These devices are extremely popular with consumers. Not only do PDAs
provide users with a portable information management platform, they also
provide software applications tailored to specific professions ("vertical
markets"). For APNs and other health professionals, using a PDA with
medical software is touted as a sophisticated way to manage personal
information while having a litany of clinical data immediately available.
However, with so many different PDAs available, and even more software
to choose from, how do you decide which products and software will work
best for you?

Like many, my expertise with computing devices has not been gained
through any formal program of study, but learned through experience. After
purchasing a PDA 2 years ago, I now consider it one of my most useful
clinical tools. Based on numerous discussions with friends and colleagues,
it has become apparent that a brief primer on PDAs and software could be
Personal Digital Assistant
helpful. This article will discuss the different types of PDAs available, as
well as types of software applications that an APN might find useful.
Additionally, PDA and applicable software Web site addresses are
provided. For clarity, the term "PDA" will be used to refer to all handheld
computing devices, as opposed to terms like "Palm Pilot" or "Pocket PC",
which actually refer to specific types of PDAs.

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