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PubMed2005

Digital chat reference in health science libraries: challenges in initiating a new service.

Digital reference service adds a valuable new dimension to health science reference services, but the road to implementation can present questions that require carefully considered decisions. This article incorporates suggestions from the published literature, provides tips from interviews with practicing academic health science librarians, and reports on data from students' exploration of academic health science library Web sites' digital reference services. The goal of this study is to provide guidelines to plan new services, assess user needs, and select software, and to showcase potential benefits of collaboration and proactive and user-friendly marketing. In addition, tips for successful operation and evaluation of services are discussed.

Computer Communication Networks↗
PubMed2004

Evaluating digital libraries in the health sector. Part 2: measuring impacts and outcomes.

This is the second part of a two-part paper which explores methods that can be used to evaluate digital libraries in the health sector. Part 1 focuses on approaches to evaluation that have been proposed for mainstream digital information services. This paper investigates evaluative models developed for some innovative digital library projects, and some major national and international electronic health information projects. The value of ethnographic methods to provide qualitative data to explore outcomes, adding to quantitative approaches based on inputs and outputs is discussed. The paper concludes that new 'post-positivist' models of evaluation are needed to cover all the dimensions of the digital library in the health sector, and some ways of doing this are outlined.

Information Systems↗
PubMed2004

Assessing medical residents' usage and perceived needs for personal digital assistants.

Health care professionals need information delivery tools for accessing information at the point of patient care. Personal digital assistants (PDAs), or hand-held devices demonstrate great promise as point of care information devices. An earlier study [The Constellation Project: experience and evaluation of personal digital assistants in the clinical environment, in: Proceedings of the 19th Annual Symposium on Computer Applications in Medical Care, 1995, 678] on the use of PDAs at the point of care found that hardware constraints, such as memory capability limited their usefulness, however, they were used frequently for accessing medical references and drug information [The Constellation Project: experience and evaluation of personal digital assistants in the clinical environment, in: Proceedings of the 19th Annual Symposium on Computer Applications in Medical Care, 1995, 678]. Since this study was completed in 1995, hand-held computer technology has advanced rapidly, and between 26 and 50% of physicians currently use PDAs [Physician's use of hand-helds increases from 15% in 1999 to 26% in 2001: Harris interactive poll results, Harris Poll. 8-24-2002 (electronic citation); ACP-ASIM survey finds nearly half of U.S. members use hand-held computers: ACP-ASIM press release, American College of Physicians, 9-3-2002 (electronic citation)]. This use appears higher among residents, with one recent study finding that over two-thirds of family practice residencies use hand-held computers in their training programs [J. Am. Med. Inform. Assoc. 9 (1) (2002) 80]. In this study, we systematically evaluate PDA usage by residents in our institution using quantitative and qualitative methods. Our evaluation included a brief on-line survey of 88 residents in seven residency programs including primary care and specialty practices. The surveys were completed between 26 October 2001 and 30 April 2002. Follow-up interviews with 15 of the surveyed residents were then conducted between 24 April 2002 and 13 May 2002. The original contributions of this study are the evaluation of residents in primary and specialty programs and evaluation of both medical application software and the conventional personal organizational software (such as calendars and to-do lists). This evaluation was also conducted using significantly advanced hardware and software compared with previous studies [The Constellation Project: experience and evaluation of personal digital assistants in the clinical environment, in: Proceedings of the 19th Annual Symposium on Computer Applications in Medical Care, 1995, 678]. Results of our survey and follow-up interviews of residents showed most residents use PDAs daily, regardless of practice or whether their program encourages PDAs. Uses include commercial medical references and personal organization software, such as calendars and address books. Concerns and drawbacks mentioned by these residents included physical size of the PDA and the potential for catastrophic data loss. Another issue raised by our results suggests that security and Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliance need to be addressed, in part by resident education about securing patient data on PDAs. Overall, PDAs may become even more widely used if two issues can be addressed: (a) providing secure clinical data for the current patients of a given resident, and (b) allaying concerns of catastrophic data loss from their PDAs (e.g. by educating residents about procedures to recover information from PDA backup files).

Academic Medical Centers↗
PubMed2003

Personal digital assistant infectious diseases applications for health care professionals.

Personal digital assistants (PDAs; also known as "handheld computers," "pocket personal computers," and Palm Pilots) provide immediate access to vital and clinically relevant infectious diseases information at the point of care. Several infectious diseases applications are available that provide information on pathogens, diagnosis, medication, and treatment. In this article, 4 infectious diseases PDA applications are reviewed: ePocrates ID (part of ePocrates Rx Pro), the Johns Hopkins Division of Infectious Diseases Antibiotic Guide, the 2002 Sanford Guide to Antimicrobial Therapy, and Infectious Diseases and Antimicrobials Notes. Drug information, including clinical pharmacology, dosing in patients with renal insufficiency, adverse reactions, and drug interactions, is evaluated for completeness and accuracy by comparison of each application with the package insert. Treatment recommendations for 6 diseases are compared with current practice guidelines. Each PDA infectious diseases application reviewed has unique advantages and disadvantages. This critical review will help health care professionals select the infectious diseases PDA application best tailored to meet their individual information needs.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed2003

Evaluating digital libraries in the health sector. Part 1: measuring inputs and outputs.

This is the first part of a two-part paper which explores methods that can be used to evaluate digital libraries in the health sector. In this first part, some approaches to evaluation that have been proposed for mainstream digital information services are examined for their suitability to provide models for the health sector. The paper summarizes some major national and collaborative initiatives to develop measures for digital libraries, and analyses these approaches in terms of their relationship to traditional measures of library performance, which are focused on inputs and outputs, and their relevance to current debates among health information specialists. The second part* looks more specifically at evaluative models based on outcomes, and models being developed in the health sector.

Benchmarking↗
PubMed2026

The application of artificial intelligence in healthcare practice: A mapping review of systematic reviews.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming healthcare practice, with growing evidence supporting its use in diagnosis, prognosis, treatment planning, and operational decision-making. The proliferation of systematic reviews in recent years underscores the need for an updated synthesis of the literature to inform research, policy, and practice. We searched PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, IEEE Xplore, and CINAHL for systematic reviews and meta-analyses published between 2019 and February 2026. Eligible reviews focused on AI applications in healthcare practice, were peer-reviewed, and written in English. A total of 368 reviews met the inclusion criteria. Publication volume increased steadily, peaking in 2025. AI research was concentrated in high-density domains, such as radiology, oncology, and critical care. Across reviews, diagnostic imaging, electronic health record (EHR) data, and biomarkers/laboratory results accounted for 68% of training data sources, though newer data types, such as wearable device and sensor data, emerged from 2022 onward. Diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment comprised over 80% of AI applications, with novel uses emerging in recent years, such as AI-assisted clinical documentation (e.g., ambient documentation tools) and patient education. Ethical concerns were reported in 78.5% of reviews, with privacy, model accuracy, data and algorithmic bias, and explainability as recurrent themes. The proportion of reviews reporting ethical concerns increased from 2021 to 2025. AI applications in healthcare are expanding in scope, diversifying in data sources, and evolving toward novel clinical and operational uses. The human-centered AI or augmented intelligence paradigm, integrating computational precision with clinical expertise, holds significant promise but will require parallel advances in governance, regulatory frameworks, and ethical oversight to ensure safe adoption.

Artificial Intelligence↗
PubMed2005

Colonization of personal digital assistants used in a health care setting.

BACKGROUND: The use of personal digital assistants (PDAs) by health care workers is increasing. Increasing rates of infection in our institution led to the question of whether PDAs were colonized with pathogenic organisms. METHODS: Specimens for culture were obtained from PDAs used at our institution, and surveys were distributed to the users to determine factors predisposing to colonization. RESULTS: Forty percent of PDAs had growth on culture. The most common organism detected on 27 of 82 PDAs was coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (82%). No isolates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or vancomycin-resistant enterococci were detected. Colonization was more common on PDAs that had undergone previous cleaning. No other predisposing factors to colonization were found. CONCLUSIONS: PDAs are frequently colonized with typical skin organisms and less commonly with pathogenic organisms. Whether PDAs used in the health care setting serve as vectors for nosocomial infection is not determined.

Bacteria↗
PubMed2006

Examining the adoption of electronic health records and personal digital assistants by family physicians in Florida.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper is to comprehensively characterise the current use of electronic health records (EHRs) and personal digital assistants (PDAs) among family physicians in Florida; and to compare family physicians with other doctors with respect to the functions commonly used on their EHR and PDA systems. METHODS: A postal survey was sent to family physicians (n=2076) and other doctors with a clear and active licence in Florida (total n=14 921). To examine factors among family physicians related to EHR and PDA use, binary logistic regression modelling techniques were utilised. Chi-square analysis was used to compare EHR and PDA functions between family physicians and other doctors. RESULTS: A total of 4203 responses, of which 756 were from family physicians, were available for the current study (28.2% overall response rate). EHR use among family physicians was significantly related to large practice size, urban location and young physician age, after controlling for confounders. Likewise, PDA usage among family physicians was independently associated with male gender and younger physician age. Additionally, even though no differences in overall EHR adoption were found, family physicians, when compared with other physicians, were significantly more likely to be using a more robust set of EHR functions. This included allergy and medication lists, diagnosis, problem lists, patient scheduling and educational materials, preventive services reminders and access to reference material. CONCLUSIONS: Even though family physicians utilise many EHR and PDA functions more commonly than other physician groups, the overall level of EHR adoption among family physicians remains low. Until more barriers to the use of EHR are minimised, the goals of the Future of Family Medicine Report to broadly implement EHR and other health IT functions will not be fully realised.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Digital reference service: trends in academic health science libraries.

Two years after the initial 2002 study, a greater number of academic health science libraries are offering digital reference chat services, and this number appears poised to grow in the coming years. This 2004 follow-up study found that 36 (27%) of the academic health science libraries examined provide digital chat reference services; this was an approximately 6% increase over the 25 libraries (21%) located in 2002. Trends in digital reference services in academic health science libraries were derived from the exploration of academic health science library Web sites and from digital correspondence with academic health science library personnel using e-mail and chat. This article presents an overview of the current state of digital reference service in academic health science libraries.

Academic Medical Centers↗
PubMed2004

The use of personal digital assistants in the health sciences: results of a survey.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to determine how personal digital assistants (PDAs) are used on an academic health sciences campus to define the level of training and support the library can provide to the students and faculty. METHOD: A Web-based questionnaire was developed. A total of 1,538 health sciences faculty and residents were sent an email message requesting participation. Data from the returned surveys were analyzed with SPSS. RESULTS: Sixty-one percent of survey respondents used PDAs. The address book, date book, and calculator were the most common uses reported for PDAs. Residents also reported a high use of drug databases on their PDAs. Most survey respondents indicated they would like to learn more about clinical resources for PDAs. CONCLUSIONS: Many opportunities exist for librarians to provide training and support for PDAs, in addition to evaluation and promotion of clinical software for PDAs.

Academic Medical Centers↗
PubMed2001

The digital transformation of oral health care. Teledentistry and electronic commerce.

BACKGROUND: Health care is being changed dramatically by the marriage of computers and telecommunications. Implications for hospitals and physicians already have received extensive media attention, but comparatively little has been said about the impact of information technology on dentistry. This article illustrates how the digital transformation will likely affect dentists and their patients. CONCLUSIONS: Based on recent experiences of hospitals and medical practices, dentists can expect to encounter revolutionary changes as a result of the digital transformation. The Internet, the World Wide Web and other developments of the information revolution will redefine patient care, referral relationships, practice management, quality, professional organizations and competition. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: To respond proactively to the digital transformation of oral health care, dentists must become familiar with its technologies and concepts. They must learn what new information technology can do for them and their patients and then develop creative applications that promote the profession and their approaches to care.

Computer Security↗
PubMed2005

Documenting drug-related problems with personal digital assistants in a multisite health system.

PURPOSE: A scalable, multiuser, personal digital assistant (PDA)-based documentation tool for pharmacist collection of data on drug-related problems (DRPs) is described. SUMMARY: A PDA-based tool for documenting DRPs and pharmacist interventions was developed with database software. Data fields were based on the pharmaceutical care model. PDA synchronization stations were configured to transmit encrypted data from three hospital sites to a central server. Pharmacists in a multisite health care organization were trained to use the documentation tool. Data were analyzed with commercially available software. Users' opinions about the tool were solicited in a survey. Twenty-eight PDAs containing a 15-field database were issued to 39 pharmacists in 31 service areas. Data were successfully transmitted from all hospital sites over the existing corporate local area network. During a two-month period, 5084 DRPs were documented; 90% of them were resolved at the time of data entry. The most frequent types of DRPs were the need to add a drug (31%) and the ordering of an unnecessary drug (15%). Most pharmacists reported that the tool was easy to use, was well integrated with the workflow, and required less than 30 minutes per day for documenting DRPs. CONCLUSION: A PDA-based documentation tool was successfully used in a multisite health care organization to collect data on DRPs and document pharmacist interventions.

Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting Systems↗