Technology question

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Specializes in LTC, geriatric, psych, rehab.

What are PDA's? I am in a master's program and keep hearing about them. I live in a rural area which means we are the last to get new technology. And where I am, the nursing homes are the last of the last. I have to do a paper this week and discuss PDA's, so I could use a little help. Where is one purchased, how expensive are they, do DON's use them at other nursing homes?

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Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.

A PDA is a personal data something....lol...it's an electronic date book. The best part of them is the downloads you can buy. A whole drug book is available on a tiny chip...there are also accounting programs, Gray's Anatomy (the original, not the shlocky tv drama) and of course games.

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Little mini hand held computers. Personal data assistant? I've seen adds for them in the Long Term care magazine or something like that that would be realted to LTC. MDS charting, Charting at bedside by the CNAs and nurses then you link them up to the main computer.

We would never see this type of tech stuff in our LTC, we can barely get 4x4 ordered. We did just get Care Tracker, tho.

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Specializes in ICU, CM, Geriatrics, Management.
... We would never see this type of tech stuff in our LTC, we can barely get 4x4 ordered...

Tee-hee.

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Specializes in Sub-Acute, SNF,ICU,AL,Triage, Cardiac.

Personal Digital Assistants- yes very handy, great for multi-tasking such as working quietly while sitting in a "necessary evil meeting". Many current cell phones have integrated PDA functions - i.e Blackberry (love mine), etc. Few DONs I know of use them. I have seen them personally used more by nurses in highly specialized areas to be kept abreast with new drugs (with updates electronically) and new procedures constantly coming their way - i.e ICU, dialysis, surgery. Up-to-the minute at your fingertip information is key in these areas. However, now that the Internet is usually loaded on the desktops at the nursing stations, LTC nurses usually opt for those - free to them!

Look at consumerreports.org for data comparisons (great cheat sheets and comparisons with features and prices).

Good luck!

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