title: Why physicians should share PDA/smartphone findings with their patients: a brief report.
abstract: Many physicians use PDAs/smartphones in the presence of their patients. But how do patients perceive this behavior? This study tested the hypothesis that participants with increased knowledge about medical applications of PDAs/smartphones have more positive perceptions of physicians using them. The authors assigned 250 patients and/or family members in medical or pharmacy waiting rooms at 2 universities to either the control group or the treatment group. The treatment group viewed a brief presentation about how and why physicians use PDAs/smartphones, whereas the control group received no new information. All participants completed a survey about their knowledge (7 items) and perceptions (13 items) of physician use of PDAs/smartphones. The treatment group showed more favorable perceptions (p < .05) on 5 out of 13 survey items. In addition, in the control group, those who showed "high knowledge" had more favorable perceptions (p < .05) on 8 out of 13 survey items compared with control group participants with "low/moderate knowledge" levels. The authors concluded that even a small amount of information increases measurable perceptions. This study suggests that perhaps physicians should take time to share their PDA/smartphone findings with their patients to improve patients' perceptions of their use.
authors.affiliation: University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, USA. karen.miller@louisville.edu
authors.forename: Karen Hughes
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Craig
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ziegler
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Greenberg
authors.forename: Pradip D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.forename: Mary B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Carter
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001292:Attitude to Computers; D001294:Attitude to Health; D040421:Cell Phone; D034201:Computers, Handheld; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D055815:Young Adult