PDA AND WIRELESS DEVICES IN NURSING INFORMATICS

Objectives The use of Wireless devices Type of devices and software Uses in Nursing care Legal and Ethical issues Advantages and disadvantages for the Nurse

Wireless Devices Wireless devices such as cell phones, PDAs, and most recently the iPod touch are becoming more common among nursing students and nurses. They can be used in the clinical setting and also for theory and learning. They can provide faster and easier access to patient records, charting, etc.

Wireless Devices cont’d They fit nicely in the pockets to make carrying around convenient. They are very personalized because there are many different kinds of software that can be uploaded depending on the users need and desires. This PowerPoint will provide insight to the use of wireless devices in the health care setting.

Types of wireless Devices PDAs Palm OSR. Cell phones (smart phones) iPhone Blackberry Nokia iPod touch (mp3 player)

Types of Wireless Devices cont’d PDA iPod touch Blackberry cell phone.

The iPod Touch The newest iPod from Apple Has wi-fi internet access, web browsers, address book, large screen, and a full keyboard making searching for info and reading it easier and more convenient. Skyscape, a popular software, is now available on the ipod. Nursing Central is an application from the apple store that is easily downloaded. Considered the complete mobile solution for nursing. This application has detailed information for nurses about diseases, test, and procedures

iPod cont’d Over 4,600 drugs and over 56,000 dictionary terms. Integrates Taber’s Medical Dictionary, Davis’s Drug Guide, Disease & Disorders, Laboratory & Diagnostic Tests, and Unbound MEDLINE. The iPod touch is small and thin and fits easily into the pocket. It starts at $225.00 and doesn’t require any registration fee for application use The ipod touch can be used as and mp3 which is it’s initial purpose but it can be used for pretty much everything else except a phone. The iphone is similar but $159.00 registration fee applies to use applications.

Available Software Epocrates Rx Nursing Central SNAP PEPID STARS Telehealth Tettito Nursing Central PEPID Skyscape Netdoc Tarasion PDA Cortex MediSoft These are only some of the types of software. From these there are many different kinds of downloads the focus on areas such as medication, nursing dx, nurses’ notes, medical dictionary, nursing procedures and mostly anything else that one could think of.

Skyscape Skyscape is the worldwide leading software service for handheld devices It contains trusted medical information ordered by specialty (Nurse, Doctor, PA etc.) Based on an electronic evidence based system easily navigated through clinical decision support Helps healthcare professionals to raise the standards of care Aids in patient safety Supports the human thought process for Diagnosis and treatment Registered user base of 750,000 practitioners and over 500 trusted resources that cover 30+ medical specialties (Business Wire 2008). Can be customized for areas of the nursing profession (RN, LPN, OB, PEDS, etc.) The best thing about this software is it’s wide range of healthcare specialties and specifics.

INFORMM INFORMM is a nursing database developed and maintained by Nursing Informatics. Includes patient care, patient problems, nursing diagnosis, and patient populations. Offers decision and user support Online retrievel system that allows the use of the database with the nursing process. First developed by the university of iowa hospitals and clinics.

INFORMM Review Used for clinical purposes Used by nurses (mainly the RN) Includes nursing diagnosis, procedures, assessment, intervention, and documentation. A point of service configuration Uses American National Standards Institute (ANSI) as a database standard. Followed the NANDA nursing practice classification scheme

Advantages Light weight and fits nicely into pockets Provides medical information at the point of care Programs work quickly with no lag or booting up Provides medical dictionary Nursing dx Lab values/interpretations Metric conversations Risk management Collects and stores data at bedside Provides an entire drug profile including implementation Aides student nurses by decreasing amount of books in clinical Reduces stress and saves time and money Provides step by step nursing procedures. “The benefit of having information in the palm of one’s hand not only saves time, but reduces trips to the computer by 80%” (Santori 2008). Saving time and the ability to use at the beside seem to be most beneficial in that it does save trips to the computer and looking Things up in books.

Disadvantages The need to be trained poses problem for the already busy nurse. The relationship between the device and the user may not be positive Risk for colonization when being used with multiple patients and not being cleaned. Medication programs are not 100% perfect Software limited to drug interactions are more accurate If having to purchase device for own desire it can be costly Although some facilities require the use of these devices and pay for them , nurses who purchase them as an individual to use will not get refunded and could spend a lot of money purchasing the device and available software.

Ethical and Legal Issues Nurses still need to perform 3 checks when administering medication which they may tend to rely on the device for confirmation The risk of spreading germs because of colonization on devices when going from patient to patient Since it is a computer there is always a risk for errors Nurses still need to communicate appropriately with the patient and not focus solely on the device Because it is a computer and information can be saved in would be unlawful to let anyone besides the nurse use the device for risk that information could be shared

Nurse competencies and responsibilities of the informatics nurse Nurses will need basic computer knowledge and experience Understanding of software and set up will need to be learned Nurses should be willing to continue their computer skills and be open to their advantages The informatics nurse should be available for assistance with co-workers and help in the training They should be available for questions Leading the way for change for current and future nurses in the use and benefit of computer technology

Conclusion “As the acuity of the patient population increases nurses need to access and use information quickly and easily” (Greenfield 2007). Hand held computer devices and smart phones are the future of healthcare. We can take out the excess steps in nursing and put them all in one little place that fits right into the pocket Errors will decrease, patient care will improve, and time will be better spent Time is the biggest factor in a nurses day These devices will not only give the nurses back time they spent on or waiting for the computer but will give back time to the patient as well Drugs, nursing dx, procedures, care plans, and so much more will be available at the nurse’s figure tips. The advantages CLEARLY outweigh the disadvantages which are all things that already arise in the standards of care.

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