Desktop vs Smartphone Features

• Individual information usage hinges on dimensions like hardware size, device run time, application availability, and security level.

Desktop vs. Smartphone

• Forms of computers differ in weight, display size, processing power, memory, storage, and battery life.
• Desktop computers are generally heavy, have large displays, gigahertz (GHz) processing, gigabytes (GB) of memory/storage, and lack internal battery power.

Smartphone Features

• Smartphones merge computing and communication.
• Smartphones fit in a shirt pocket, weigh ounces, feature a 2-inch or slightly larger display, megahertz (MHz) processing, megabytes (MB) of memory/storage
• Smartphones can operate for three hours in talk mode, or ten days in standby, on battery power.

Notebook/Laptop vs. Tablet vs. PDA Characteristics

• Notebooks/laptops are lighter, have smaller displays, and slightly less processing/storage than desktops.
• Notebooks/laptops are designed for battery operation, allowing portability without needing an outlet.
• Tablets are lighter than laptops, with smaller displays and less processing/storage.
• Tablets allow stylus input via the display.
• Tablets don't require a keyboard/mouse, offering stylus-based writing/drawing.

PDA Specifics

• PDAs weigh 8 oz or less, small enough for a shirt pocket.
• PDAs come with a miniature keyboard and stylus for entering data.
• PDAs can have an external portable keyboard added.
• PDAs resemble smartphones, but have longer battery life because they do not support voice communication.

Battery Life Factors

• Mobile devices rely on batteries.
• Battery life and recharge time determine device usefulness.
• Mobile tech uses Lithium or Alkaline batteries.

Battery Life Strategies

• To extend battery life, strategies include:
• Power-aware apps for adaptive management.
• Dynamic power consumption management procedures.
• Energy-aware interfaces that reduce display demands.

Battery Life Strategies

• Lithium-Ion batteries should be stored for no more than six months at full charge in elevated temperatures to hasten death.
• To prolong the lithium-ion battery life, recharge after partial discharge.
• To prolong Nickel Cadmium initial slow full charge, followed by periodic full discharge (cycling) should be performed, while avoiding memory phenomenon.
• To prolong Nickel Metal Hybrid initial rapid full charge, followed by periodic full discharge should be performed, while avoiding memory phenomenon.
• To prolong Reusable Alkaline battery life, recharge after partial discharge to 50% of original state.

PDA Operating Systems

• A computer's operating system determines its characteristics by managing hardware/software interaction.
• The most common PDA operating systems are Palm OS and Windows Mobile.

Mobile Devices

• Portable devices can be hand-carried or rolled.
• Mobile devices are small, lightweight and hand-carried.
• Laptops can be considered mobile
• Key is the non-bulky display.
• Handheld devices fit in one hand, used with the other.
• PDAs can be considered handheld
• Key is miniature keyboard.

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)

• IEEE sets network rules.
• Desktops connect via metal wire cables, like copper Ethernet, following IEEE 802.3.
• Fiber-optic cables offer a higher data transmission rate.

Wireless Devices

• Wireless connection needs a physical component added to the device
• Requirement for a wireless access point, depending on the standard device.
• With a wireless local area network (WLAN) card, a desktop connects via an over-the-air interface.
• IEEE 802.11 governs local area networks (LANs) with wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi).
• Tablet computers typically can connect through both two types of wireless connectivity and hardwire.
• Tablets feature an Ethernet port for cable LAN connection, infrared (IrDA), and Wi-Fi.
• PDAs use Wi-Fi to connect to WLANs for email/internet access.
• Bluetooth is an alternative standard, used for cell phones and PDAs.
• Notebooks/laptops have both wired/wireless options
• Growing numbers are wireless enabled, commonly using Wi-Fi following IEEE 802.11 standards for WLANs.

PDA Use Cases

• PDAs allow nurses improve time management and organization.
• PDAs help nurses improve patient care with on-demand information access.

PDA Generic Functions

• PDAs evolved to support personal information management with:
• Address book: Always-alphabetical list storing names, addresses, numbers, organizations, emails, etc.
• Calculator: Performs mathematical operations and medical calculations.
• Date book: Allows nurses to track daily, weekly, or monthly schedules.
• Memo pad: Composes memos, synced with computers, for project outlines.
• Notepad: For quick notes directly on the screen in digital ink, patient conditions, order changes, or Continuing Education notes.
• To-do list: Creates lists for daily, weekly, or monthly tasks
• Healthcare providers can save time and improve information access/management using standard PDA functions.

General Freeware, Shareware, and Commercial Applications

• Three general applications:
  • Document, and Image viewers.
  • Office automation applications.
  • Web browsers.
• Document viewers allow nurses to download and read text files.
• Documents can maintain formatting, indexing, and special characteristics when downloaded.
• Graphics viewers are useful for image-heavy specialties.
• Firepad Picture Viewer helps create, view, share images, videos, multimedia, and find free internet images.
• PDA database programs read/create databases.
• Two common applications are Hand base and Jfile.
• Filemaker Mobile 7 syncs multiple PDAs with a center database.
• Web browsers on PDAs can work as offline HTML document readers.

Clinical Applications

• Clinical applications support clinical care (medications, treatment, documentation, decision-making), administration(reporting), research, and education.
• Healthcare applications vary from reference material to decision support systems.
• Clinicians use PDAs to support workflow by providing access to information at the point of care.
• PDAs improve patient care:
• Enable quick checks on critical signs.
• Review unfamiliar drug doses.
• Check for drug interactions.
• Review management guidelines.
• Utilize differential diagnoses applications.
• These fall into clinical reference, patient tracking, and billing/coding.

Clinical Applications by Category

• Clinical reference categories include journals, general/pharmacologic references, calculators, and decision support tools.
• PDA clinical references:
• Scan journals for specified topics.
• General/specialty practice resources.
• Pharmacology resources.
• Medical calculators.
• Clinical decision-making applications.
• Pharmacologic databases are the most frequently used PDA application.
• Applications house information for prescription drugs and other applications that support clinical decision making.
• Epocrates Rx is a comprehensive pharmacology database.
• Exists as a free or commercial application.
• MobileMicromedex is available by subscription to users in health libraries
• Lexi -Complete is a subscription of 15 databases related to clinical consultation and drugs.
• Medical calculators help providers use standard formulas for estimating body mass index (BMI) and creatinine clearance.
• Drug database programs are available to aid in the selection of antibiotics and function as clinical decision support tools.
• The Johns Hopkins Antibiotic Guide is marketed as a decision support tool that assists with infectious diagnosis treatment at the point of care.
• Infectious Diseases Notes combines a drug database and clinical decision support tools.

HIPAA Considerations

• HIPAA's administrative simplification ensures electronics, code sets, security, identifiers, and privacy.
• If a computer stores/transmits individual health information, the user must protect it.

PDA and Security

• A reasonable level of security for a PDA with individuality identifiable health information is to have the device protected by having to enter an ID and password in order to use it.

Wireless Device Security

• In addition to asynchronous communication concerns, wireless devices transmitting identifiable health data must be protected during transmission and on the PDA/receiving machine.
• Encryption to encrypt the data being exchanged is key to protect data.
• Encryption/decryption slows system performance.

Evaluation of Clinical Application

• To evaluate clinical applications, begin by understanding the nurse's goals in using the software.
• Ensure the software is compatible with the PDA operating system.
• Consider the installation time/effort.