Personal digital assistant use by nurse practitioners: a descriptive study.
OBJECTIVE
We sought to describe the prevalence and patterns of use of personal digital assistants (PDAs) among active nurse practitioners (NPs).


METHODS
A descriptive correlational survey was conducted among NPs in the United States (N = 126). Participants were randomly selected from members of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners who had listed a practice site on their application.


CONCLUSIONS
Sixty-four percent of participants used PDAs. A drug reference was reported to be the most useful and frequently installed application. A large majority of PDA users believed that PDA use supported clinical decision making (91%), promoted patient safety (89%), and increased productivity (75%). Sixty-two percent predicted that PDA use would change their practice within the next 5 years.


CONCLUSIONS
As innovative PDA applications with potential to improve patient outcomes become increasingly available, handheld computer skills will be a fundamental practice competency. To prevent errors in clinical decision making with quick access to PDA reference materials, NPs must critically evaluate the legitimacy and worth of PDA software programs. There is a critical need to evaluate the effectiveness of PDA use in clinical settings and develop an evidence base to guide use of the PDA in solving clinical problems.
Stroud
Sally D
SD
College of Nursing, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA. stroudsd@musc.edu
Smith
Carol A
CA
Erkel
Elizabeth A
EA
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001292:Attitude to Computers; D003197:Computer Literacy; D003200:Computer User Training; D034201:Computers, Handheld / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003657:Decision Making; D020000:Decision Support Systems, Clinical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004511:Education, Nursing, Graduate; D055317:Evidence-Based Practice; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009722:Nurse Practitioners / Q000193:education / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000523:psychology*; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D019095:Point-of-Care Systems / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012449:Safety; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States