Pocket Digital Assistants And Use For Staff Nurses

1442 Words3 Pages

The personal digital assistant (PDA) is a handheld device originally designed as personal organizers but over the years have advanced becoming the newest tool in the academic toolbox. It had broad capabilities is a powerful reference source as well as a computer and communicator that can be stored in a pocket.

The PDA was first developed in 1993 by Apple Computer and was named the Newton. Later Palm, Inc. released the Pilot 1000 and 5000 which retailed for about $500 (Wikipedia). Today the PDA has become a necessity to many people. It has a broad range of functions which may include a cell phone, address book, GPS receiver or camera and retails for about $250 (Wikipedia).

The use of the PDA has found a place in the general life of the public but also has become an essential part of many professions. The medical and nursing professions have embraced this technology as well. Due to the ease of programming of the PDA, many programs for use in the medical community have been developed for that operating system. According to Hunt, in 2002 an estimated 18 percent of physicians and only 1 percent, approximately 25,000, of all nurses were using the PDA in their practices.

Currently the PDA is used in a fairly limited manner. Many people use the PDA as a personal organizer, memo pad and phone book whereas many healthcare professionals use it as a resource for patient care. However, some healthcare professionals use it to organize patient data, track patient visits, in...

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... Informatics Association. 10(2): 139-149, 2003.

Houck, J.B., (2001). PDAs-Stat-for busy nurses. Retrieved September 28, 2005 from http://www.wirelessnewsfactor.com.

Hunt, E.C. (2002). The value of a PDA to a nurse. Retrieve September 28, 2005 from http://www.unc.edu5/~dbailey1/CONI/nsgpdavalue.doc.

Jenkins, D.L. (2002). Personal digital assistants: A world of information in the palm of your hand. Clinical Nurse Specialist. 16. 38-39.

Lusky, K. (2000). Is a personal digital assistant in your future? Retrieved September 28, 2005 from http://www.nurses.com.

Wilson, S. (2003). Development of a personal digital assistant as point-of-care technology in nursing education. Retrieved September 28, 2005 from http://www.PDAcortex.com

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