Personal Digital Assistants as Point-of-Care Tools in Long-Term Care Facilities: A Pilot Study
Syeda S. Qadri, Jia Wang, Jorge G. Ruiz, Bernard A. Roos · Educational Gerontology · 2009
This study used both survey and interview questionnaires. It was designed to assess the feasibility, usability, and utility of two point-of-care tools especially prepared with information relevant for dementia care by staff nurses in a small, a medium-sized, and a large nursing home in Florida. Twenty-five LPN or RN nurses were recruited for the study of their use of one of the tools—either a set of pocket cards (used by the control group) or a pocket PC (used by the experimental group). The findings of our study indicate that personal digital assistants (PDAs) can potentially improve long-term care clinicians' effectiveness and efficiency at work, resulting in better patient care for nursing home residents.