PDA & WIRELESS DEVICES
Individual use of information depends on a continuum
along several dimensions:
1 the desired physical size and characteristics of the hardware
the length of time a mobile device runs before requiring
2 recharging
whether the computer functions as stand-alone or as part of a network,
3 the availability of applications to support an individual’s work
4 the appropriate of security level
SMART PHONE
fits in a shirt pocket, limited memory measured
weighs ounces in megabytes (MB)
has a 2 inch or slightly limited storage capacity
larger display measured in MB
can run on battery power
has processing power in talk mode for 3 or more
measured in hrs. or standby for up to 10
megahertz (MHz) days before requiring
recharging
DESKTOP COMPUTER
too heavy to memory capacity up
hand carry to gigabytes (GB)
has a larger display storage capacity up to GB
processing power measured not designed to run on
in gigahertz (GHz) internal battery power
NOTEBOOK/LAPTOP COMPUTER
can run without requiring
lighter enough to access to an electrical out
hand carry let
has a slightly slightly less
smaller display processing power and
storage capacity
TABLET
display allows use of a
lighter than laptop stylus for input
slightly less
processing power and
has a slightly storage capacity than a laptop
smaller display than
a laptop
keyboard and mouse
input possible
but not necessary
PERSONAL DIGITAL ASSISTANT
comes with a miniature
small enough to fit in keyboard and a stylus for
shirt pocket (8 oz) data entry
tends to have a possible to add an
longer battery life external portable keyboard
BATTERY LIFE
Mobile devices depend on batteries.
The length of time a battery supports use
of the device and the length of time for the
battery to recharge determine the
usefulness of the device.
Strategies to achieve longer times between battery
recharging include:
1 dynamic power-consumption-management procedures
2 power aware applications for adaptive power management
3 energy-aware interfaces for reducing display demands on the battery
BATTERIES FOR MOBILE TECHNOLOGY
• rechargeable battery commonly
Lithium Ion
used for portable electronics
• easy and fast charging
• can last as long as 8 or more years
• have higher energy density and
longer shelf life than zinc-carbon
batteries
• prone to leakage
Alkaline
MOBILE DEVICES
• any computer system that can be hand carried or
rolled around is a portable device.
• Computers that are small and light weight enough
to be hand carried are mobile devices. A laptop is
considered mobile. The key to a mobile device is
the non-bulky display.
• A computer that can be held in the palm of one
hand and used with the other hand is a handheld
device. A PDA is considered a handheld device.
The key to a handheld device is the miniature key
board.
WIRLESS DEVICES
For a computer to connect wirelessly there must be a physical
component added to the device to enable wireless communication.
Depending on what standard device follows, there is also a
requirement for a wireless access point to the network.
With the right card added to the computer and a wireless local area
network (WLAN), it is possible for a wirelessly enabled desktop
computer to connect through an over-the-air interface to a computer.
The most commonly standard used for this is IEEE 802.11 that
governs how local area networks (LANs) connect wirelessly using
wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi).
PDA GENERIC FUNCTIONS
ADDRESS BOOK MEMO PAD
an always-alphabetical list provides a place to compose
that has fields for name, memos, which can be
address, phone numbers, synchronized with another
organization, e-mail, and other computer; used to produce and
data edit project outlines
CALCULATOR
NOTEPAD
basic function calculator
useful in jotting quick notes
capable of mathematical
allows nurses to write directly
operations. Calculators
on the screen in digital ink
for specific medical
calculations are available
TO-DO LIST
DATEBOOK allows the nurse to create
allows the nurse to keep multiple lists and keep track
track of his/her schedule, of tasks to be done daily, w
from a daily, weekly, or eekly, or monthly
monthly perspective
GENERAL FREEWARE, SHAREWARE &
COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
• document and image viewers
• office automation applications
• web browsers
DOCUMENT & IMAGE VIEWERS
Document viewers allows the nurse to download and read
text files. Document viewers allow formatting, indexing of
content, and special characteristics to be preserved when
documents are downloaded.
A graphics viewer for image viewing may be useful for
individuals practicing in specialties where images are a basic
requirement.
Firepad Picture Viewer is a commercial application
that may be downloaded and is useful for creating,
viewing, and sharing images, videos, and multimedia
presentations as well as acquiring free Internet
images.
OFFICE AUTOMATION APPLICATIONS
• tools that enable data to move from one system to another
on its own without human intervention and inaccuracies
• tools used to create, collect, store, analyze, and share
confidential data that is required to accomplish basic
day-to-day routine tasks and processes effectively
• started primarily as data processing and word processing
tool
• includes more sophisticated and complex tasks like
integrating front office and back-end systems
WEB BROWSERS
• software application for accessing information and
viewing websites on the World Wide Web
• another popular application for PDAs
• may function as offline HTML document readers
• common examples are Internet Explorer,
Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Opera, etc.
PDA DATABASE PROGRAMS
• available for reading data files and useful for creating
databases.
• two common applications are Hand base and Jfile.
• Filemaker Mobile 7 allows multiple PDA to synchronize
with one central database, which is especially useful for
remote data capture of research data that is aggregated in
one central database.
CLINICAL APPLICATIONS BY
FUNCTIONAL CATEGORIES
There are applications that support clinical care,
administrative functions, research, and education.
Available healthcare applications range from simple
reference material, to interactive tracking databases, and
to highly sophisticated decision support systems.
Clinicians utilize their PDAs to support their workflow by
having ready access to relevant information at the point
of care.
CLINICAL APPLICATIONS
BY CATEGORY
Categories of clinical references include journals, general
specialty references, pharmacologic references, medical
calculators, and decision support tools for treatment and/or
clinical consultation.
PDA clinical references include applications that scan
journals for specified topics, general and specialty practice
electronic resources, pharmacology resources, medical
calculators, and clinical decision-making applications.
PHARMACOLOGIC DATABASES
• probably the most frequently used PDA application; all applications
contain drug information for prescription drugs and some are bundled
with additional applications that support clinical decision-making.
Epocrates Rx is the most frequently used comprehensive
pharmacology database. It is available as both a free application
and a commercial expanded product.
MobileMicromedex is available by subscription and many
health sciences libraries hold a subscription so their authorized
library users may access this application for free.
Lexi-Complete is a subscription that offers access to 15
databases related to drugs and clinical information
PHARMACOLOGIC DATABASES
• Several drug database programs to aid in the selection of
antibiotics are available and function as clinical decision
support tools.
The Johns Hopkins Antibiotic Guide is marketed as a
decision support tool, designed to bring clinicians
information about the diagnosis and treatment of
infectious diseases at the point of care.
Infectious Diseases Notes is also a combination drug
database and clinical decision support tool.
MEDICAL CALCULATOR
• type of medical computer software, whose purpose is
to allow easy calculation of various scores and indices,
presenting the user with a friendly interface that hides
the complexity of the formulas
• available to assist providers who use standard
formulas for calculation of body mass index (BMI),
creatinine clearance, and so forth
PERSONAL DIGITAL ASSISTANTS
• can be optimized for clinical practice through the utilization
of applications designed to support healthcare providers by
providing ready access to journals and electronic resources,
pharmacology databases, medical calculators and clinical
decision support tools. Bringing this to the point of care
should improve patient outcomes.
Patient tracking software is a handheld patient
management tool that allows the provider to track
a variety of patient information.
Billing and coding applications are designed to
document charges for patient visits, procedures,
and medical diagnoses.
HIPAA IMPLICATIONS
The HIPAA administrative simplification
provisions include electronics and code sets,
security, unique identifiers, and privacy. If a
computer has individuality identifiable health
information or protected health information
stored in it, the person who maintains or
transmits that information is responsible for
reasonable safeguards.
ASYNCHRONOUS COMMUNICATION
& PDA
A reasonable level of security for a
PDA with individuality identifiable
health information is to have the
device protected by having to enter
an ID and password in order to use it
SYNCHRONOUS COMMUNICATION &
WIRELESS DEVICES
All the considerations for asynchronous communication
remain, but in addition, when a device is wireless enabled,
the individuality identifiable health information that is
transmitted must be protected during the process of
transmission as well as when it resides on a PDA or the
receiving machine. This is typically done through encryption.
The data exchanged is encrypted when it leaves and is
decrypted when it arrives at its destination.
Encryption and decryption take time, so system performance
will be slower than if the data were not encrypted.
EVALUATION OF
CLINICAL APPLICATION
• a systematic approach to evaluating clinical
applications starts with an understanding of the goal
of the nurse selecting and using that software
• the software selected must be compatible with the o
perating system of the PDA
• factors to consider include the amount of time and
level of effort required to install and successfully run
the application
THANK YOU!
END OF PRESENTATION
