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Results for “Computers, Handheld”

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At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

PubMed2007

What's driving the binge in binge eating disorder?: A prospective examination of precursors and consequences.

OBJECTIVE: Previous research, mostly using retrospective reports, indicated a relation of negative affect and dietary restraint with the occurrence of binge episodes in binge eating disorder (BED). We employed Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) to better understand precursors and consequences of binge eating. METHOD: Thirty-three females with BED carried a handheld computer for 7 days, and were periodically prompted to indicate their current emotions, hunger, and binge status. RESULTS: Negative mood and hunger were significantly higher at prebinge than at nonbinge times, but negative mood was even higher at postbinge. Participants attributed binge episodes to mood more frequently than to hunger or abstinence violation. CONCLUSION: The finding that negative mood is actually heightened subsequent to a binge suggests the need to further investigate what is reinforcing about a binge, including possible escape from self-awareness. Strengths of EMA technology are discussed, as well as its broad utility in BED assessment and treatment.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Using a personal digital assistant enhances gathering of patient data on an acute pain management service: a pilot study.

PURPOSE: Handheld computer technology provides a unique opportunity for health care professionals to access real time or near real time patient information and evidence-based resources at the point-of-care. The purpose of this study was to assess one physician's experience using acute pain assessment software on a personal digital assistant (PDA) to assess patients on an acute pain management service (APMS). METHODS: Using a historical control and a "time and motion" study design, comparisons were made on acute pain assessment time and comprehensiveness when patient assessments are documented on a PDA vs the current paper-based method. RESULTS: The study physician (a PDA-user) reported feeling comfortable with the assessment software after five patient assessments. PDA assessments were more likely to contain documentation regarding pain and side effects (e.g., nausea, pruritus, hypotension) than the paper assessments. The median time of the "assessment only" component of the patient encounter was 53 sec longer using the PDA compared to paper (P < 0.00), however, the median "total encounter" (chart review, assessment, documentation) time was 74 sec shorter using the PDA vs paper (P < 0.00). DISCUSSION: The findings of this preliminary study suggest that the PDA is a reliable tool that meets the data management requirements within an APMS setting. This study found that patient assessments documented using acute pain software developed for use on a PDA were as efficient and content-rich as paper assessments. The PDA may even enhance the efficiency of the patient assessment process through the provision of more comprehensive digital data for research, clinical, and administrative needs.

Computers, Handheld↗

PubMed2005

Using ecologic momentary assessment to measure physical activity during adolescence.

OBJECTIVE: Examine the validity of using high-density electronic ecologic momentary assessment (EMA) to assess physical activity. EMA was further used to explore within- and between-subject variability in adolescent physical activity (PA) patterns. METHODS: Adolescents (n=526, 51% male) participated in EMA waves occurring approximately every 6 months between the 9th and 12th grade. Each wave extended over 4 consecutive days (Thursday to Sunday). Using a Palm III handheld computer, each participant reported his or her primary activity (e.g., exercise, walking, homework) every 30 (+/-10) minutes during waking hours. Heart rate (via Polar heart rate monitor) and activity counts (via wrist accelerometer) were simultaneously assessed during the EMA intervals. RESULTS: Overall, heart rates and accelerometer counts were greater for diary-reported exercise and walking than for nonphysical activities (p's<0.001). EMA revealed that the typical duration of exercise sessions was longer than walking sessions (p<0.05). Rates of walking and exercise were more consistent between waves (i.e., across high school) than within waves (i.e., across the 4 days of monitoring), most likely due to the significantly higher rates of walking and exercise occurring on weekdays as compared to weekend days (p's<0.001). Average rates of walking were greater for girls than boys, and the reverse was true for exercise. Rates of both walking and exercise declined steadily between 9th and 12th grade (p's<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Physical activity reported via EMA corresponded to objective activity indicators. EMA yielded information about within-person variability in PA that cannot be obtained readily from traditional self-report instruments. Given its potential for simultaneously assessing important physiologic, psychological, and contextual factors, EMA presents a promising approach to studying adolescent physical activity.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

A comparison study: paper-based versus web-based data collection and management.

The purpose of this pilot study was to compare the cost, accuracy, and efficiency of a web-enhanced handheld computer data collection system with those of the traditional paper-based data collection and management system and to increase awareness/knowledge of researchers on these two data collection and management methods. This is an important topic because funding resources are diminishing and high startup costs associated with automated data collection systems may give researchers pause when faced with these financial expenditures. Hence, this information will position grant writers and funders to make intelligent decisions regarding the feasibility and advantage of web-enhanced electronic data collection strategies.

Computers, Handheld↗

PubMed2006

Radiology education: a glimpse into the future.

The digital revolution in radiology continues to advance rapidly. There are a number of interesting developments within radiology informatics which may have a significant impact on education and training of radiologists in the near future. These include extended functionality of handheld computers, web-based skill and knowledge assessment, standardization of radiological procedural training using simulated or virtual patients, worldwide videoconferencing via high-quality health networks such as Internet2 and global collaboration of radiological educational resources via comprehensive, multi-national databases such as the medical imaging resource centre initiative of the Radiological Society of North America. This article will explore the role of e-learning in radiology, highlight a number of useful web-based applications in this area, and explain how the current and future technological advances might best be incorporated into radiological training.

Clinical Competence↗

PubMed2006

Generalized use of a handheld prompting system.

This study determined the effectiveness of a commercially produced handheld computer, as a prompting system in facilitating the generalization and increasing the probability of long-term maintenance of vocational skills by adolescents with moderate intellectual disabilities. Four students successfully used the system in learning a task and then generalized the use of the prompting system to complete increasingly more complex tasks. Task performance was maintained at a 100% level for up to 9 weeks.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Which handheld should I buy?

The PDA or handheld computer, is not just a toy of the Cusper generation or for your pre-teens to use for games. It is a serious tool that has found a niche in medicine. Everyone of our residents carries a PDA and uses it several times a day. Web-based programs such as ePocrates provide them with instantaneous information on correct drug dosage and interactions. The literature already contains reports of the ability of this type of PDA-based software to reduce prescription errors. Our residents also use shareware versions of patient management software to keep track of patients on service and of individual surgeon's preferences. If your residents use ResSOLution to enter surgery case data, they will find that the new, PDA-based version shown at the recent Surgical Education Week will make data entry and transmission to the program director's files a piece of cake. The software has a long-awaited, full alpha-search capability for current CPT codes. I download my calendar and telephone files to my PDA every day so that I have everything on my office computer in the "palm" of my hand where and when I need it. Try remembering the office number of a referring physician in the middle of the night or suffering through the Muzak-ridden delays of waiting for a hospital operator to give you a specific extension and you will carry your PDA too!

Computers, Handheld↗

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↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Taking it to the streets: recording medical outreach data on personal digital assistants.

Carrying hundreds of patient files in a suitcase makes medical street outreach to the homeless clumsy and difficult. Healthcare for the Homeless--Houston (HHH) began a case study under the assumption that tracking patient information with a personal digital assistant (PDA) would greatly simplify the process. Equipping clinicians with custom-designed software loaded onto Palm V Handheld Computers (palmOne, Inc, Milpitas, CA), Healthcare for the Homeless--Houston assessed how this type of technology augmented medical care during street outreach to the homeless in a major metropolitan area. Preliminary evidence suggests that personal digital assistants free clinicians to focus on building relationships instead of recreating documentation during patient encounters. However, the limits of the PDA for storing and retrieving data made it impractical long-term. This outcome precipitated a new study to test the feasibility of tablet personal computers loaded with a custom-designed software application specific to the needs of homeless street patients.

Community-Institutional Relations↗

PubMed2004

How information retrieval technology may impact on physician practice: an organizational case study in family medicine.

RATIONALE: Information retrieval technology tends to become nothing less than crucial in physician daily practice, notably in family medicine. Nevertheless, few studies examine impacts of this technology and their results appear controversial. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: Our article aims to explore these impacts using the medical literature, an organizational case study and the literature on organizations. METHODS: The case study was embedded in an evaluation of the implementation of medical and pharmaceutical databases on handheld computers in a Canadian family medicine centre. Six physicians were interviewed on specific events relative to the use of these databases and on their general perception of impacts of this use on clinical decision making and the doctor-patient relationship. A thematic data analysis was performed concomitantly by both authors. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Findings indicate six types of impact: practice improvement, reassurance, learning, confirmation, recall and frustration. These findings are interpreted in accordance with both a medical and organizational perspective. The fit with the literature on inter-organizational memory supports the transferability of the findings. In turn, this fit suggests how information retrieval technology may change physician routine. This study suggests a new basis for evaluating the impact of information retrieval technology in daily clinical practice. In conclusion, our paper encourages policy-makers to develop, and physicians to use, this technology.

Canada↗

PubMed2004

Evaluation of a handheld clinical decision support tool for evidence-based learning and practice in medical undergraduates.

INTRODUCTION: Handheld computers (PDAs) uploaded with clinical decision support software (CDSS) have the potential to facilitate the adoption of evidence-based medicine (EBM) at the point-of-care among undergraduate medical students. Further evaluation of the usefulness and acceptability of these tools is required. METHODS: All 169 Year 4 undergraduate medical students at the University of Hong Kong completed a post-randomised controlled trial survey. Primary outcome measures were CDSS/PDA usefulness, satisfaction, functionality and utilisation. Focus groups were also conducted to derive complementary qualitative data on the students' attitudes towards using such new technology. RESULTS: Overall, the students found the CDSS/PDA useful (mean score = 3.90 out of 6, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 3.78, 4.03). They were less satisfied with the functional features of the CDSS (mean score = 3.45, 95% CI = 3.32, 3.59) and the PDA (mean score = 3.51 95% CI = 3.40, 3.62). Utilisation was low, with the average frequency of use less than once per week. Although students reported a need for information in patient care at least once daily, they infrequently used the CDSS in a clinical setting (20.4 +/- 10.4% of the time), with an average information retrieval success rate of 37.6 +/- 22.1% requiring 63.7 +/- 86.1 seconds. Multivariable regression shows that higher perceived CDSS/PDA usefulness was associated with more supportive faculty attitudes, greater knowledge of EBM, better computer literacy skills and increased use in a clinical setting. Greater satisfaction with the CDSS/PDA was associated with increased use in a clinical setting and higher successful search rates. Qualitative results were consistent with these quantitative findings and yielded additional information on students' underlying feelings that may explain the observations. CONCLUSIONS: While PDAs uploaded with the CDSS are able to provide students with better access to high quality information, improvements in faculty attitudes, students' knowledge of EBM and computer literacy skills, and having the CDSS specially designed for undergraduate use are essential to increasing student adoption of such point-of-care tools.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

PubMed2006

Linking the global positioning system (GPS) to a personal digital assistant (PDA) to support tuberculosis control in South Africa: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading clinical manifestation of HIV infection and caseloads continue to increase in high HIV prevalence settings. TB treatment is prolonged and treatment interruption has serious individual and public health consequences. We assessed the feasibility of using a handheld computing device programmed with customised software and linked to a GPS receiver, to assist TB control programmes to trace patients who interrupt treatment in areas without useful street maps. In this proof of concept study, we compared the time taken to re-find a home comparing given residential addresses with a customised personalised digital assistant linked to a global positioning system (PDA/GPS) device. Additionally, we assessed the feasibility of using aerial photographs to locate homes. RESULTS: The study took place in two communities in Greater Johannesburg, South Africa: Wheillers Farm, a relatively sparsely populated informal settlement, and a portion of Alexandra, an urban township with densely populated informal settlements. Ten participants in each community were asked to locate their homes on aerial photographs. Nine from Wheillers Farm and six from Alexandra were able to identify their homes. The total time taken by a research assistant, unfamiliar with the area, to locate 10 homes in each community using the given addresses was compared with the total time taken by a community volunteer with half an hour of training to locate the same homes using the device. Time taken to locate the ten households was reduced by 20% and 50% in each community respectively using the PDA/GPS device. CONCLUSION: In this pilot study we show that it is feasible to use a simple PDA/GPS device to locate the homes of patients. We found that in densely populated informal settlements, GPS technology is more accurate than aerial photos in identifying homes and more efficient than addresses provided by participants. Research assessing issues of, confidentiality and cost effectiveness would have to be undertaken before implementing PDA/GPS - based technology for this application. However, this PDA/GPS device could be used to reduce part of the burden on TB control programs.

Anti-Retroviral Agents↗

PubMed2003

Extending the hand of knowledge: promoting mobile technologies.

The widespread use of handheld computers and other mobile devices in the healthcare environment and their potential for providing access to information has prompted health sciences librarians everywhere to learn more about this technology. Early in 2001, the Health Sciences Library (HSL) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill began exploring ways to support mobile computing. This paper describes the four basic approaches taken by the librarians that helped establish the HSL as a leader in the area of mobile technologies.

Academic Medical Centers↗

PubMed2005

Development of a portable psychometric testing device for use in the field: an alcohol investigation.

Cognitive and psychomotor performance have traditionally been assessed in the laboratory. There is a need for an objective portable assessment tool to assess cognitive and psychomotor performance. This study investigated the viability of a portable psychometric test battery, in a controlled laboratory environment, possibly leading to use in the field. A randomised, double-blind placebo controlled, three-way crossover design was employed. 16 subjects received 50 mg/100 ml and 80 mg/100 ml of alcohol and alcohol placebo. Performance was assessed with a tracking task, and an attention task presented on a small ruggedised handheld computer. The attention task showed no significant training effects; however, an element of the tracking task did. Statistical significance, effect size, and test-retest reliability analyses are presented indicating sensitivity of the portable psychometric test battery to the impairing effects of two separate doses of alcohol. Ability to undertake wide-scale impairment testing in the field with meaningful results in the absence of baseline data collection may have wide reaching implications, particularly in relation to the assessment of drivers impaired by drug use.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

Validation of electronic student encounter logs in an emergency medicine clerkship.

Handheld electronic patient encounter logs offer opportunities to understand and enhance medical students' clinical experiences. Before using the data, the reliability of log entries needs to be verified. We assessed the sensitivity and specificity of handheld patient encounter logs by comparing documented entries with reliable external data sources. During an Emergency Medicine clerkship, medical students voluntarily recorded their patients' diagnoses in an Electronic Student Encounter Log (E-SEL) on handheld computers. We used patient demographics to match anonymous log entries with medical charts. Most students recorded 60% or more of their patient encounters and on average 60% of their patients' medical problems in the log. The false positive rate was 26% for patient encounters and 19% for patient problems. In general, students recorded more diagnoses in more detail than was available in the patient's ED chart. Improvements in the log's interface and documentation incentives should enhance the log's accuracy and utility.

Clinical Clerkship↗

PubMed2003

Documenting procedures and deliveries during family practice residency: a survey of graduates' experiences, preferences, and recommendations.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The University of Washington Family Practice Residency Network (UW Network) is in the process of implementing a Palm Pilot-based procedure and delivery documentation system throughout 16 residency programs. Our study examined the experiences of past UW Network graduates in obtaining hospital privileges and in documenting procedures and deliveries. METHODS: A survey was mailed to 201 1999 and 2000 UW Network graduates, asking them questions about their experiences obtaining hospital privileges after graduation and documenting procedures and deliveries during their training. RESULTS: A total of 124 surveys (62% response rate) were analyzed. Ninety-four percent of the respondents had applied for hospital privileges, and 84% received all the privileges they requested. Forty-four percent indicated they had to provide some written documentation to get hospital privileges, but only 7% had to provide more than a numeric total of procedures or deliveries. Respondents predominantly used log cards and Palm Pilots for data collection. Palm Pilots were preferred over log cards, and the Palm Pilot systems received higher satisfaction ratings. CONCLUSIONS: For the majority of graduates, detailed delivery and procedure information was not necessary to obtain hospital privileges. Nevertheless, there are other reasons to document training experiences, and graduates strongly advise family practice residents to record their procedure and delivery experiences. Family practice residency programs should consider giving house staff handheld computers to record the procedures they perform.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Electronic data collection tools for quality improvement: antibiotic utilization project.

The project goal is to provide data on patterns of broad-spectrum antibiotic use in a pediatric clinic by utilizing electronic data collection tools. This was carried out as a quality improvement project sponsored by a local health network and one of its affiliated pediatric clinics. Pharmacy data was available to show relative rates of broad-spectrum antibiotic use, but this data was not linked to diagnostic categories or to total patient visits. There was also a lack of data showing the influence of related clinical factors and of shared decision-making between parents and physicians. Data to elucidate these factors was obtained with handheld computers used by physicians and with a web survey tool was used by patients and staff.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Are personal digital assistants an acceptable incentive for rural community-based preceptors?

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study's objective was to evaluate the acceptability, effect, and use of handheld computers (also known as personal digital assistants or PDAs) as a reward for undergraduate rural community-based family medicine preceptors. METHODS: All rural, undergraduate family physician teachers who accepted an undergraduate student for a 1-month placement were offered the choice between a PDA that carried medical software or a monetary payment of an equivalent value. Approximately 1 year later, different surveys were sent to both groups of preceptors to collect data on their use of PDAs and computer technology. RESULTS: The most commonly reported reason for choosing a PDA in lieu of payment was that it provided a good opportunity to learn about PDA technology. Of those who accepted a PDA, however, 10% had not yet used it, and another 44% of recipients had difficulty in getting started using the PDA. There were more reported problems with the software than the hardware. When surveyed 1 year later, those who received a PDA and were still using it reported satisfaction with the medical software, ranging from 31% for Epocrates qid to 71% for the 5-Minute Medical Consult. More than 90% of those using their PDA 1 year later reported that they used it in clinical settings, with 68% feeling their PDA had some or a significant effect on patient care. CONCLUSIONS: Rural family physicians appeared to find PDAs an acceptable reward for teaching, based on the reported use and utility of their PDA, but many had technical difficulties. Recipients of the PDA reported using their PDA primarily in the clinical setting, with the feeling that the PDA had a positive effect on their patient care. Many users had difficulty with technical aspects of PDA use. To support PDA recipients, technical assistance should be provided.

Computers, Handheld↗