Use of Personal Digital Assistants in Healthcare

Personal digital assistants are useful to people who work in every industry, including health care. Doctors, physicians assistants and nurses rely on PDAs as effective communication tools that let them stay connected to their jobs in order to serve patients more effectively.

Function

• According to a May 2002 article in BNET, PDA software enables health care professionals to store patient information, order prescriptions directly to pharmacies, check on lab results and access medical information remotely. PDA programs even allow health care professionals to document billing and claims encounters to be submitted to health plans.

Significance

• With PDAs, health care professionals can provide quality medical services to patients that are efficient and effective. PDAs offer instant access to critical information, so patients do not have to wait long to hear back from their doctors about lab test results or their prescription needs.

Considerations

• Health care professionals who use PDAs must be careful to properly secure their electronic devices in a way that complies with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. HIPAA is a federal law that protects the privacy of patient medical information. If PDAs are left unsecured and patient information is accessed by someone other than the health care professional, this is considered a HIPAA violation and can lead to enforcement activities, such as financial penalties or jail time.