Enhancing neurosurgical navigation operation flow management through personal digital assistant technology: a prospective cohort study.

Purpose: This prospective cohort study aims to evaluate the impact of digital health technology especially Personal Digital Assistants (PDA) in neurosurgical procedure management, focusing on surgical safety check accuracy, efficiency, and patient satisfaction. Methods: The study included 211 neurosurgical cases from January to December 2022. The control group of 106 patients followed traditional verification methods, while the experimental group of 105 patients used PDA. The PDA system facilitated real-time data collection, verification, and transmission. The study compared both groups in terms of check times, accuracy rates, and patient satisfaction, and used multivariate regression to assess the impact of baseline parameters on these outcomes. Results: The study found that the experimental group using the PDA system reduced the average verification time by approximately 8 min, achieving 100.0% accuracy in preoperative and postoperative checks, significantly better than the control group (91.5% pre- and post-operation). Multivariate regression confirmed a 48.1% reduction in postoperative verification time due to the PDA system (p < 0.001), with the model showing high explanatory power (R2 = 0.911). Other examined factors, including patient age and nurse experience, had no significant effects. Similarly, the PDA's introduction markedly improved verification accuracy, with no significant impact from other variables (p = 0.010). Conclusion: The application of the PDA system in neurosurgical operations significantly enhanced the accuracy and efficiency of surgical safety checks, reduced nursing errors, optimized nursing workflows, and improved patient satisfaction. These results provide valuable insights for the application of PDA technology in high-risk medical fields, demonstrating potential of digital health tools in enhancing surgical safety and efficiency.

Adoption of a Digital Patient Health Passport as Part of a Primary Healthcare Service Delivery: Systematic Review.

The utilization of digital personal health records is considered to be appropriate for present-time usage; it is expected to further enhance primary care's quality-of-service delivery. Despite numerous studies conducted on digital personal health records, efforts in a systematic evaluation of the topic have failed to establish the specific benefits gained by patients, health providers, and healthcare systems. This study aimed to conduct a systematic review regarding the impact of digital personal health records in relation to the delivery of primary care. The review methods included five methodological elements that were directed by the review protocol 2020 (PRISMA). Over a time period of 10 years (2011-2021), 2492 articles were retrieved from various established databases, including Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, EBSCO-Medline, and Google Scholar, and based on reference mining. The Mixed Method Appraisal Tool (MMAT) was used for quality appraisal. A thematic analysis was performed to develop the themes in this study. The thematic analysis performed on 13 articles resulted in seven main themes, which were empowering the patient, helping with communication, improving relationships, improving the quality of care, maintaining health records, sharing records, and saving time. We concluded the study by expanding the seven themes into 26 sub-themes, of which each served as answers to our main research question that prompted this systematic review.

[Research on Hospital Operating Room Management System Based on PDA Code Scanning Technology].

In view of the high recognition error rate and long scanning time in the existing hospital scanning technology, a new hospital operating room scanning system is designed based on personal digital assistant (PDA). The PDA scanning device adopts PIC16F877A microcontroller of 8 bit for wireless transmission through RFID and bluetooth technology, the code scanning efficiency is greatly improved. In addition, in order to improve the accuracy of image analysis, this study also adopts the energy driven sampling classification algorithm (EDS-CA) to properly preprocess the medical data information received through PDA scanning, then constructs a function classifier, and improves the image processing efficiency according to the EDS-CA reduction process. The experimental results show that the average accuracy of the code scanning system designed in this study is 95%, which proves that PDA code scanning has good performance.

'Bringing the Covert into the Open': A Case Study on Technology Appropriation and Continuous Improvement.

As end-users, employees appropriate technologies. Technology appropriation is generally conceived as a covert phenomenon. In particular, alternative ways and new purposes for which employees deploy technologies tend to remain hidden. Therefore, the potential of technologies as a source of organizational improvements may remain undisclosed. Continuous improvement (CI) programs, in contrast, are explicitly oriented at disclosing organizational improvements. In essence, CI programs encourage employees to openly discuss how to improve their work practices. Such continuous movements towards novel, often better, ways of working may be perfectly suited to bring the covert nature of technology appropriation into the open. Based on a case study on a personal digital assistant (PDA) in a Belgian nursing home with such a CI program in place, we document and analyze to what extent and why functionalities of the PDA were discussed and further developed. We distinguish between the functionalities that, upon implementation, intended to improve particular work practices, and those that surfaced after the technology had been introduced. To conclude, we point at employees' perceived usefulness of their work practices and their willingness to improve these, rather than only the technology itself, to further the debate on technology appropriation.

A Study on the Improvement of Nursing Interruption Risk by a Closed-Loop Management Model.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of closed-loop management on nursing disruption risk. METHODS: Using a quasi-experimental research method, convenient sampling was used to extract 20 nurses working at our hospital as the research objects. The control group members were selected from January to March 2018 via the traditional method, and the experimental group members were selected from April to June 2018 via the closed-loop management method. At three months before and after the implementation of the management model, a self-designed quantitative test form and satisfaction questionnaire were used to analyze the frequency of nursing disruption events, the accuracy rate of doctors' advice, the average drug delivery time of the static distribution center, the implementation rate of personal digital assistant (PDA) code scanning, and the report rate of risk-outcome nursing disruption events. RESULTS: After the implementation of the management model, the frequency of nursing disruptions and average drug delivery time of the static distribution center were significantly lower than before, and the differences were statistically significant (p < 0.05). Moreover, the accuracy rate of doctors' advice, the implementation rate of PDA code scanning, and the reporting rate of risk-outcome nursing disruption events were significantly higher than before, and these differences were statistically significant as well (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The application of a closed-loop management model could significantly reduce the occurrence and optimize the outcomes of nursing disruption events and improve the work processes of medical care.

Technological Ecological Momentary Assessment Tools to Study Type 1 Diabetes in Youth: Viewpoint of Methodologies.

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is one of the most common chronic childhood diseases, and its prevalence is rapidly increasing. The management of glucose in T1D is challenging, as youth must consider a myriad of factors when making diabetes care decisions. This task often leads to significant hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia, and glucose variability throughout the day, which have been associated with short- and long-term medical complications. At present, most of what is known about each of these complications and the health behaviors that may lead to them have been uncovered in the clinical setting or in laboratory-based research. However, the tools often used in these settings are limited in their ability to capture the dynamic behaviors, feelings, and physiological changes associated with T1D that fluctuate from moment to moment throughout the day. A better understanding of T1D in daily life could potentially aid in the development of interventions to improve diabetes care and mitigate the negative medical consequences associated with it. Therefore, there is a need to measure repeated, real-time, and real-world features of this disease in youth. This approach is known as ecological momentary assessment (EMA), and it has considerable advantages to in-lab research. Thus, this viewpoint aims to describe EMA tools that have been used to collect data in the daily lives of youth with T1D and discuss studies that explored the nuances of T1D in daily life using these methods. This viewpoint focuses on the following EMA methods: continuous glucose monitoring, actigraphy, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, personal digital assistants, smartphones, and phone-based systems. The viewpoint also discusses the benefits of using EMA methods to collect important data that might not otherwise be collected in the laboratory and the limitations of each tool, future directions of the field, and possible clinical implications for their use.

Construction and application of central monitoring system of hospital ward monitor / 中华医院管理杂志

The authors introduced the construction of the central monitoring system of bedside monitor in a hospital, and introduced its software and hardware design scheme and function in detail. The implementation of the system guaranteed the medical safety, reduced the workload of medical staff, improved the work efficiency, and had the characteristics of low cost and practicability.

Nurses' satisfaction with use of a personal digital assistants with a mobile nursing information system in China.

BACKGROUND: Personal digital assistants, technology with various functions, have been applied in international clinical practice. Great benefits in reducing medical errors and enhancing the efficiency of clinical work have been achieved, but little research has investigated nurses' satisfaction with the use of personal digital assistants. AIM: To investigate nurses' satisfaction with use of personal digital assistants, and to explore the predictors of this. DESIGN: This is a cross-sectional descriptive study. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey targeting nurses who used personal digital assistants in a comprehensive tertiary hospital in Beijing. RESULTS: A total of 383 nurses were recruited in this survey in 2015. The total score of nurses' satisfaction with use of personal digital assistants was 238.91 (SD 39.25). Nurses were less satisfied with the function of documentation, compared with the function of administering medical orders. The time length of using personal digital assistants, academic degree, and different departments predicted nurses' satisfaction towards personal digital assistant use (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Nurses were satisfied with the accuracy of administering medical orders and the safety of recording data. The stability of the wireless network and efficiency related to nursing work were less promising. To some extent, nurses with higher education and longer working time with personal digital assistants were more satisfied with them.

Use of a mobile device in mental health rehabilitation: A clinical and comprehensive analysis of 11 cases.

This study aimed to test the feasibility of using a mobile device (Apple technology: iPodTouch®, iPhone® or iPad®) among people with severe mental illness (SMI) in a rehabilitation and recovery process and to document the parameters to be taken into account and the issues involved in implementing this technology in living environments and mental health care settings. A qualitative multiple case study design and multiple data sources were used to understand each case in depth. A clinical and comprehensive analysis of 11 cases was conducted with exploratory and descriptive aims (and the beginnings of explanation building). The multiple-case analysis brought out four typical profiles to illustrate the extent of integration of a personal digital assistant (PDA) as a tool to support mental health rehabilitation and recovery. Each profile highlights four categories of variables identified as determining factors in this process: (1) state of health and related difficulties (cognitive or functional); (2) relationship between comfort level with technology, motivation and personal effort deployed; (3) relationship between support required and support received; and (4) the living environment and follow-up context. This study allowed us to consider the contexts and conditions to be put in place for the successful integration of mobile technology in a mental health rehabilitation and recovery process.

The preliminary establishment of the satisfaction evaluation tool for using personal digital assistant by nurse / 中国实用护理杂志

Objective Based on the theory of Service Quality to develop a scale for measuring personal digital assistant satisfaction by nurses and to detect the reliability and validity of this scale. Methods Through the literature research, cross-sectional study and present satisfaction evaluation tool for using personal digital assistant by nurse to build the item pool. The items were selected by 15 experts consultation and the pilot survey of 666 nurses. Results The satisfaction evaluation tool for using personal digital assistant by nurse scale consisted of 41 items;the exploratory factor analysis identified 8 principal factors and explained for 65.22%. Pearson correlation coefficient between each dimension was 0.213-0.684(P<0.01). Pearson correlation coefficient between each dimension and total scale was 0.574-0.798(P<0.01). The Cronbach α coefficient of the scale was 0.928 and test-retest reliability was 0.934. Conclusions The satisfaction evaluation tool for using personal digital assistant by nurse scale has good validity and reliability. It can be used as a tool to measure the satisfaction for using personal digital assistant by nurse.

Research progress on clinical application of mobile nursing information system / 中国实用护理杂志

With the development of technology, the new technologies contact with the medical profession increasingly close. Mobible nursing information system (MNIS) is a new technology product of the combination of the nursing profession, which will digitize the introduction of paperless care industry, providing convenient for clinical work, real-time technical service is an important tool for clinical work. The application of MNIS have played an important role in confined the nursing profession, disease management and pharmaceutical management, more users discover problem from different professional perspective, thus the MNIS should be improved for all-round care. This article is consist of the domestic and care information systems development, application and effect, as well as its application in the clinical factors of its research progress in clinical application were reviewed to provide a basis for the development of leadership and decision-making about MNIS, and thus, enhance the mobile application of the effectiveness of care information systems and promoting their improvement.

Adherence to Long-Term Interferon Beta-1b Injection Therapy in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis Using an Electronic Diary.

INTRODUCTION: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system requiring long-term treatment, which is often hampered by non-adherence to self-applicable therapies, provoking continued disease activity and health care system burdens. This study assessed the influence of a personal digital assistant (PDA) with diary function (n = 339 patients) on persistence and adherence to an interferon beta treatment regimen in comparison to a paper patient diary (n = 330 patients). METHODS: Patients who recently started with subcutaneous injections of interferon beta-1b were recruited in this prospective, non-interventional, national cohort study for an observational period of 2 years after successful completion of the initial dose escalation. RESULTS: Therapy persistence as assessed by the drop-out rate within 104 weeks was about 50% in both study cohorts. In male patients, the drop-out rate was 10% lower when using a PDA compared to the non-PDA group. Use of a PDA with an injection reminder function increased adherence to the injection schedule (every other day) by a mean of 24.5 injections over 24 months in comparison to use of a PDA without injection reminder function. CONCLUSION: Persistence in this study was in the published range of observational MS studies. Furthermore, in male patients continuation of therapy might be positively influenced by use of a PDA, and both female and male patients might benefit from an integrated reminder function. In conclusion, electronic diaries reminding patients of upcoming injections can promote an improved adherence to MS therapy. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00902135. FUNDING: Bayer Vital GmbH.

Increasing physical activity through mobile device interventions: A systematic review.

Physical inactivity is a health problem that affects people worldwide and has been identified as the fourth largest risk factor for overall mortality (contributing to 6% of deaths globally). Many researchers have tried to increase physical activity levels through traditional methods without much success. Thus, many researchers are turning to mobile technology as an emerging method for changing health behaviours. This systematic review sought to summarise and update the existing scientific literature on increasing physical activity through mobile device interventions, taking into account the methodological quality of the studies. The articles were identified by searching the PubMed, SCOPUS and SPORTDiscus databases for studies published between January 2003 and December 2013. Studies investigating efforts to increase physical activity through mobile phone or even personal digital assistant interventions were included. The search results allowed the inclusion of 11 studies that gave rise to 12 publications. Six of the articles included in this review reported significant increases in physical activity levels. The number of studies using mobile devices for interventions has increased exponentially in the last few years, but future investigations with better methodological quality are needed to draw stronger conclusions regarding how to increase physical activity through mobile device interventions.

Personalised nutrition: the role of new dietary assessment methods.

Food records or diaries, dietary recalls and FFQ are methods traditionally used to measure dietary intake; however, advancing technologies and growing awareness in personalised health have heightened interest in the application of new technologies to assess dietary intake. Dietary intake data can be used in epidemiology, dietary interventions and in the delivery of personalised nutrition advice. Compared with traditional dietary assessment methods, new technologies have many advantages, including their ability to automatically process data and provide personalised dietary feedback advice. This review examines the new technologies presently under development for the assessment of dietary intakes, and their utilisation and efficacy for personalising dietary advice. New technology-based methods of dietary assessment can broadly be categorised into three key areas: online (web-based) methods, mobile methods and sensor technologies. Several studies have demonstrated that utilising new technologies to provide tailored advice can result in positive dietary changes and have a significant impact on selected nutrient and food group intakes. However, comparison across studies indicates that the magnitude of change is variable and may be influenced by several factors, including the frequency and type of feedback provided. Future work should establish the most effective combinations of these factors in facilitating dietary changes across different population groups.

Research on PDA-based operation room management model in hospital / 中国医学装备

Objective:To discuss PDA-based operation room management model and optimize the management procedure of operation room.Methods: Ninety six cases of patients were selected and evaluated the satisfaction by using traditional operation and PDA operation, compared with the experimental results.Results: The nursing efficiency has been improved by 27.5%, the nursing error has been decreased to zero and the patient satisfaction has been maintained more than 96% after PDA large screen call system used.Conclusion: The large screen call system based on PDA has optimized the nursing workflow, improved the nursing efficiency and quality, promoted the innovation of nursing mode and advanced the management level.

The Use of New Communications Technologies to Evaluate and Intervene in Substance Use Disorders.

The widespread availability of high speed, mobile cellular telephones and other advances in communication technology have the potential to change the way that interventions for substance use disorders (SUD) are delivered and how progress is monitored. This article reviews recent research on the use of new technology to monitor progress and deliver interventions for SUD. Several studies of telephone-based interventions show positive effects, but sometimes only in certain subgroups. However, other studies produced negative results. Studies support the use of interactive voice response (IVR) and personal digital assistants (PDAs) to conduct assessments, but there is little data on whether IVR- or PDA-based interventions improve outcomes. Text messaging has received comparatively little research, but appears promising as a means to conduct assessments and deliver automated interventions. Finally, smartphone technology provides the widest range of features and interventions and the greatest flexibility, but few intervention studies that use them have been conducted.

Efficacy of electronic portable assistive devices for people with acquired brain injury: a systematic review.

A systematic review was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of electronic portable assistive devices (EPADs) for people with acquired brain injury. A systematic database search (OVID, CINAHL) found 541 citations published between 1989 and the end of 2012. A total of 23 reports met the inclusion/exclusion criteria, namely intervention studies (group, n-of-1) testing the efficacy of EPADs as compensatory devices for cognitive impairment for people with acquired brain injury aged 16-65 years. Study quality was rated by the PEDro (Physiotherapy Evidence Database) scale, (randomised controlled trials), the Downes and Black tool (other group intervention studies), and the Single Case Experimental Design tool (single participant studies). Levels of evidence were determined using five levels of classification based on the Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Evidence table. Results found no Level 1 studies (RCTs with PEDro score ≥ 6), four Level 2 studies and 10 Level 3 studies. There was insufficient evidence to recommend any practice standards, but sufficient evidence to recommend the use of electronic reminder systems in supporting the everyday functioning of people with acquired brain injury as a practice guideline. Higher quality studies are required to support a broader range of compensatory roles that EPADs have the potential to play in neurorehabilitation and the long-term support of people with acquired brain injury.

Disinfecting the iPad: evaluating effective methods.

BACKGROUND: Tablet computers are increasingly used in healthcare, but they may carry nosocomial pathogens. There are few data available on how to clean an iPad effectively for use in the clinical setting. AIM: We aimed to identify the most effective method of decontaminating the Apple iPad, without causing damage, and establish the duration of any residual effect. METHODS: Following contamination with a microbial broth (meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE) and Clostridium difficile), we examined efficacy of iPad disinfection in the laboratory using six different disinfectant wipes: Sani-Cloth CHG 2% (chlorhexidine 2%/alcohol 70%), Clorox, Tristel, Trigene, soap and water, and plain cloth. Following cleaning, iPads were recontaminated to examine residual activity. After 480 Sani-Cloth CHG 2% disinfecting episodes, functional and visual analysis of iPads was performed by blinded subjects. FINDINGS: With the exception of Clostridium difficile, Sani-Cloth CHG 2% and Clorox wipes were most effective against MRSA and VRE, and they were significantly better than the Apple-recommended plain cloth (P ≤ 0.001). A substantial residual antimicrobial effect was seen for >6h after wiping the iPad with Sani-Cloth CHG 2% despite repeated recontamination and without further disinfection. The functionality or visual appearance of the iPad was not damaged by repeated use of Sani-Cloth CHG 2% wipes. CONCLUSIONS: Sani-Cloth CHG 2% wipes effectively disinfect the iPad against MRSA and VRE, with a residual antibacterial effect and without causing damage.

Handheld Electronic Technology for Weight Loss in Overweight/Obese Adults.

Handheld electronic devices could offer a convenient and scalable platform with which to deliver a weight loss intervention. This paper aims to summarise the evidence provided by randomised trials of such interventions. There is heterogeneity among trials in terms of the components of the intervention package, the theoretical framework, the comparison groups and the duration of follow-up. While in the short term (<6 months) trials have shown some promising findings, two trials (one of a text message intervention and one of a PDA device for dietary self-monitoring) do not indicate clinically significant weight loss in the longer term (1-2 years). Topical issues are discussed including the importance of further research into dietary self-monitoring, the logistics of trialling smartphone applications and considerations of health literacy. There is currently no definitive randomised controlled trial of a smartphone app for weight loss in adults and further research into this approach is warranted.

Application of personal digital assistants in medical orders documentation and vital sign monitoring / 现代临床护理

Objective To explore the effect of applying personal digital assistant(PDA)in documenting medical orders and monitoring vital signs.Method There was significant diffenence the between two groups in dicumenting,inedical orders,monitoring vital signs(P<0.05).Result BPDA needed significantly shorter time for documenting medical orders and monitoring vital signs than the traditional method(P<0.05).Conclusions PDA may shorten the time for documenting medical orders and monitoring vital signs. It reduces the repetition of nursing routines,optimizes the work flow sheet so that nurses have more time for patients and the quality of nursing is improved.