Point-of-Care
Computing: PDAs,
Health Care and the HIM
Ralph La Tella B.App.Sc.(Hons). AFACHSE
Health Information Management Association of Australia
(c) 2005 Medical Software for PDAs
1
What are PDAs?
 Handheld or palmtop computers
 Originally designed as PIMs
(Personal Information Managers)
 All PDAs come with built-in software
 Information may be entered using
handwritten gestures, using virtual
(on-screen) keyboard or by minikeyboard
FOR MORE INFO...
www.medicalsoftwareforpdas.com
Do PDAs make sense?
Desktop Computer
Handheld Computer
Size +++++
 Cost ++++
 Simplicity ++
 Versatility +++++
 Security +++++
 TCO +++++
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Size +
 Cost ++
 Simplicity +++++
 Versatility +++++
 Security +
 TCO ++
(c) 2005 Medical Software for PDAs
3
Personal vs. Functional
Feature
PDA
PC/Laptop
Start-up
Instant
Slow
Functional
Philosophy
User-centric Applicationcentric
Overhead
Single tier,
(OS gets in the transparent
way)
Multiple tiers, very
visible
PDAs – Truly personal, portable computing power
(c) 2005 Medical Software for PDAs
4
The PDA Market: OS Wars
Palm OS
Pocket PC
Low average price.
Average price higher than most Palm
OS.
More software available (including
health care related titles).
80,000 (Source: DAD Enterprises)
Better integration with other Microsoft
products.
Fast, transparent operating system.
Formal operating system structure.
Trying to look too much like desktop
PC OS.
FOR MORE INFO...
www.medicalsoftwareforpdas.com
Palm or Pocket PC ?
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Only the two most popular (Palm & Pocket PC)
have a large developer focus and thus hold the
majority of market share
Avoid immediate redundancy (built-in)
Caveat Emptor
FOR MORE INFO...
www.medicalsoftwareforpdas.com
The Palm OS logo and the Pocket PC logo are the
Registered Trademarks of Palm, Inc. and Microsoft, Inc
respectively and are used in this presentation purely for
illustrative purposes.
Medical Relevance:
Why PDAs in Healthcare?


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Clinical working environment is highly
mobile with decisions made at the
bedside.
The size, shape and performance of
computing devices that can be used in
such an environment are constrained by
the environment (Arshad et al 2002).
Handheld computers (PDAs) mobilise
caregivers from the constraints of
accessing data at fixed terminals.
(c) 2005 Medical Software for PDAs
7
PDAs in Use: Who, what and when?

Who uses a PDA & why?
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More than 50% of doctors in the USA
(Skyscape survey, Dec 2003).
85% of physician agreed that by using a
PDA they had decreased the number of
potential medical (prescription) errors.
Almost 90% of the doctors surveyed
concluded that PDAs help them provide
better care.
Almost 20% of respondents concluded
that PDA use enabled them to treat at
least 3 more patients per day.
Skyscape Survey

Does PDA use improve the overall
quality of patient care?

How?
(c) 2005 Medical Software for PDAs
9
Potential Benefits of PDAs in
Health Care

By providing access to data where and
when it is needed:
Through the sequential review and entry of
data (via interactive, web-based forms and
databases), and
 The retrieval of data (lab results and other Dx)
at the patients bedside. (Journal of Surgical
Endoscopy 16(1):221 – 3 Jan 2003)

How are PDAs used?
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Communication.
Document Management (e-Texts).
Database Management (DBMS).
Electronic Textbooks.
Medical Calculators.
Coding (CPT/ICD-9).
Point of Care Computing: A
summary
The Point of Care
Legacy Information System
DATA RETRIEVAL
DATA CAPTURE
“Handhelds will likely become vital tools in the practice of medicine”. Dr Peter J. Embi
Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine. 2001. Vol. 68, (10).
Opportunities for HIMs
PDAs / POC systems: The New HIM / Medical Informatics Frontier
Here
 Development
 Database Design / Forms Design
 Diagnostic tools / Clinical Pathways
 Integration of PDAs & Legacy Systems
 Security & User Access Protocols / VoIP
 Training
 Provide PDA training to Clinicians
 Provide Multimedia Materials for students
 Provide technical support to users
 P.O.C Resource Management
 Create PDA compliant web applications
 Quality Activities for Mobile Systems
 Providing Data Analysis Services
 Clinical Data Warehousing & Distribution
Where to from Here?

There has never been a better time to add-value
to your career:

For those in Health I.T / Health Informatics


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Extend your knowledge to PDA / Tablet PC applications
particularly in the area of Relational Database applications – for
the majority of you the transitional learning curve will be flat.
Champion the cause. Be at the leading edge – clinicians WILL
turn to you for support & training.
For those in traditional HIM environments:

Find out how your knowledge of specific processes could be
ported over to PDAs to provide niche solutions both within the
MRD and other departments (e.g. record tracking using a bar
code enabled PDA). There is an amazing lack of standards (in
terms of data items required by various clinicians). Your skills
are invaluable.
Case Notes
Project: MedLogs
Client: PMEFQ
Scope: A tool forming the basis of a system of
assessment of 1st year (junior) doctors
Initial Costing: (by non-HIM, IT- only,
Canadian firm) = AUD$120,000
Final Costing: (HIM) Nowhere near 10%
Recommended Software for
Development
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HandBase
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Easy to learn and use
Has desktop PC component so you can build
databases on your PC then download to your PDA
Handheld databases may be uni/bidirectionally
synchronised with MS Access tables
Relatively inexpensive
Pocket PC and Palm PDA versions
Able to synchronise to web-based database
http://www.handbase.com
Thank you
Thank you for your interest and your attention!
For further information – please contact me at:
[email protected]
or
Visit:
www.MedicalSoftwareForPDAs.com