Utility of Palmtop Computers in a Residency Program
Utility of Palmtop Computers in a Residency Program
Background. With advancing technology and flourishing medical information on the Internet, we studied the use of palmtop (handheld) computers by internal medicine residents.
Methods. At a university-community hospital consortium, nine internal medicine residents and their program director participated in an 8-month cohort pilot study using palmtop computers with desktop synchronization and Internet access capabilities.
Results. After 2 months of use, the residents had found a variety of uses for palmtop computers, such as the calendar, downloading residency-provided medical information, taking lecture notes, using a spreadsheet for common formulas, Internet/MEDLINE searching with modem access, infrared file transfer, downloading call schedules, and patient tracking. At 8 months, the residents were comfortable using palmtops on a daily basis. Technical difficulties included cumbersome modem cords, incompatible platforms and difficult Internet access at times, finding analog telephone lines in the hospital, and synchronization with home computers.
Conclusion. Palmtop computers are useful in the residency setting, and residents are capable of devising ways to use palmtops to suit their individual needs.
The accreditation council for Graduate Medical Education requires residency programs to provide instruction in basic computer skills, and specifies that "instruction should include an introduction to computer capabilities and medical applications, basic techniques for electronic retrieval of medical literature, computer-assisted medical instruction, and electronic information networks." Although palmtop (handheld) computing devices have been introduced into several residency programs, literature is sparse on their utilization and effectiveness.
In 1999, the internal medicine residency program at the University of Kansas School of Medicine in Wichita embarked on a pilot project to incorporate palmtop computers into the daily patient care and educational activities of the residents. The objectives of this article are to describe (1) the pilot project and its implementation, (2) the utilization of the palmtop computers by the residents, (3) technical difficulties encountered, and (4) intended future development of the project.
Background. With advancing technology and flourishing medical information on the Internet, we studied the use of palmtop (handheld) computers by internal medicine residents.
Methods. At a university-community hospital consortium, nine internal medicine residents and their program director participated in an 8-month cohort pilot study using palmtop computers with desktop synchronization and Internet access capabilities.
Results. After 2 months of use, the residents had found a variety of uses for palmtop computers, such as the calendar, downloading residency-provided medical information, taking lecture notes, using a spreadsheet for common formulas, Internet/MEDLINE searching with modem access, infrared file transfer, downloading call schedules, and patient tracking. At 8 months, the residents were comfortable using palmtops on a daily basis. Technical difficulties included cumbersome modem cords, incompatible platforms and difficult Internet access at times, finding analog telephone lines in the hospital, and synchronization with home computers.
Conclusion. Palmtop computers are useful in the residency setting, and residents are capable of devising ways to use palmtops to suit their individual needs.
The accreditation council for Graduate Medical Education requires residency programs to provide instruction in basic computer skills, and specifies that "instruction should include an introduction to computer capabilities and medical applications, basic techniques for electronic retrieval of medical literature, computer-assisted medical instruction, and electronic information networks." Although palmtop (handheld) computing devices have been introduced into several residency programs, literature is sparse on their utilization and effectiveness.
In 1999, the internal medicine residency program at the University of Kansas School of Medicine in Wichita embarked on a pilot project to incorporate palmtop computers into the daily patient care and educational activities of the residents. The objectives of this article are to describe (1) the pilot project and its implementation, (2) the utilization of the palmtop computers by the residents, (3) technical difficulties encountered, and (4) intended future development of the project.