Use of PDA’s in Nursing Clinical Education

1. Use of PDA’s in Nursing Clinical Education Helen Heiskell, MSN, RN Instructor, Darton College Albany, Georgia

2. Assessment • Healthcare environments requiring more technology. • Computerized : • charting (paperless systems) • lab and x-ray reports • medication administration systems • Others….

3. Technology Boom

4. Assessment (cont.) • Textbooks outdated • Drugs • Nursing diagnoses • Lab tests • Other…..

5. New Food Pyramid

6. Assessment (cont.) • Students carrying heavy book bags into the clinical setting. • Storage • Spreading of germs • Theft • Ability to access during clinical

9. Nursing Diagnosis Nsg DX

10. Ineffective Use of Technology r/t Poor planning Financial constraints Limited support resources Inadequate level of faculty confidence NANDA 2005-06 (Almost)

11. Plan • Explore options for PDA contract • Seek funding assistance for students and faculty • Establish campus resources to support new technology • Allow faculty to use PDA’s in clinicals prior to students. • Review literature for evidence of best practice

12. Short Term Goal • Students in NURS 1111 will obtain appropriate data for client care using PDA software AEB: • Current lab/diagnostic results and rationales • Current drug administration rationales • Current NANDA diagnoses • Correct definitions for medical terms/disease processes/surgical procedures

13. Long Term Goal • All students in Darton College’s nursing program will have access to personal digital assistants for use in clinical and/ or private practice.

14. Implementation • Wrote several grants seeking funding for project.

15. Implementation (cont.) • Found minimal literature on beginning students and the use of PDA’s in clinical settings.

16. Implementation (cont.) • Made a choice to purchase a HP wireless PDA with additional memory/wifi card.

17. Chose 4 programs as required and 2 as optional; 4 Lippincott, 3 Mosby; required 56 mb memory Handbook of Nursing Diagnosis, Carpenito—Lippincott—required A Manual of Laboratory and Diagnotic Tests, Fischbach—Lippincott—required 2005 Lippincott’s Nursing Drug Guide—required Stedman’s Medical Dictionary—Lippincott—required Clinical Companion for Medical-Surgical Nursing (Lewis)—Mosby—optional Mosby’s Nursing PDQ—optional

18. Implementation (cont.) • Made agreement with financial aid to cover cost of PDA and software. • PDA and software made optional if students could not afford.

19. Implementation (cont.) • Faculty began using PDA’s in the hospital.

20. Evaluation • Unexpected Problems! • Wireless capability did not work • Extended memory/wifi card deleted programs when bumped

21. Implementation (again) • Negotiated with HP representatives to fix problems: • Replaced wireless card with 1G memory card • HP Donated money to cover unsold PDA’s • Students with financial hardships will get HP PDA’s free or at greatly reduced rates.

22. Implementation (cont.) • Changed to Dell. • Less expensive • Wireless technology works • More memory • Representatives very helpful

23. Changed to all Mosby software: required 20 mb memory—no additional memory card needed • Nursing Diagnosis Handbook, Ackley • Mosby’s 2005 Drug Consult for Nurses • Dorland’s Pocket Medical Dictionary • Mosby’s Diagnostic and Laboratory Test Reference

26. Evaluation • No more heavy book bags.

27. Evaluation (cont.) • No more aching backs!

28. Evaluation (cont.) • College ordered 10 new computers for nursing lab so students could “synch” updates.

29. Evaluation (cont.) • Students without computers at home can: • Access e-mail • Surf the web

30. Evaluation (cont.) • Faculty and students are happy!

31. Have now added Micromedex for desktop computers with ability to download Mobile Micromedex for PDA

32. Funding Sources • http://www.thejournal.com • http://techfoundation.org/ • http://www.cartridgesforkids.com/