Personal Digital Assistants:

why PDAs? why Health Sciences? what’s next?

Wallace McLendon, MLSAssociate Director, Library Services

Health Sciences Library, UNC-Chapel Hill

Mid-Atlantic Chapter, Medical Library AssociationOctober 18, 2001

1. Discuss PDAs and their uses

2. Look into near future to determine next transition in personal technology

Learning objectives

The birds and bees of innovation

save time - “time is the new economy”“time is the new economy” address a frustration simplify work solve a problem convenience solve a problem created by another

innovation!

Every

“OuchOuch”

is followed by an

“AhahAhah”

The scaldingscalding steering wheel

The cardiothoracic surgeon

Always onAlways on ahah:

Wearable & comfortable = micro-electronics

Mobility = wireless Seamless transmission =

standards & regulations Robust databases that talk to

each other

Putting thePDA in context

First came the…

Pager

Cell phone

PDAs/Palms/Pocket PCs

The Pager as an ahah

dedicated radio frequency 1921 Detroit Police Department 1974 Motorola's Pageboy I - no display,

message storage 1980 3.2 million users worldwide, limited

range, used on-site, e.g. within a hospital 1990 wide-area paging, 22 million pagers 1994 61 million pagers, popular for

personal useSource: http://www.phonewarehouse.com/pager.htm

The Pager created an ouch

“Is there a phone I can use?”

Cell phone as an ahah

1947 researchers recognized potential 1947 FCC limits frequencies to 23 conversations

in single area - no market incentive 1968, FCC - “if technology can be proven, will

increase frequency allocation” AT&T - Bell Labs small towers covering 'cell' few

miles in radius, cars move across area, phone calls pass from tower to tower

Despite demand, 37 years to become commercially available in the US

Today’s ahah

The PDA

If we understand the problem PDAs are attempting to solve, we will begin to see a technology continuum…

and

if we see the technology continuum, we can build the infrastructure that will allow integration of devices into our services

The PDA as an ahah

1984 Psion's Epoc OS first electronic organizer 1993 Newton Message Pad Apple Computer John Sculley dubbed PDAs (personal digital

assistants) hold telephone numbers, keep your calendar, store

notes, in future send/receive data wirelessly

PDA sales plummeted 1996, PalmInc PalmPilot - companion to PC Microsoft Windows CE & then Pocket PC, windows

operating system lite

www.inquirer.net/infotech/dec2000wk2/info_12.htm

What PDAs did/do

Early PDAs schedules addresses phone numbers alarms

The PDA Today synch with desktops,

network servers via USB or serial port

e-mails multi-media word, spreadsheet,

database software specialized software infrared transfer between

PDAs wireless internet access “smart phones”

Operating Systems

Palm OS Palm OS

characterized as “open” and “accessible” platform

estimated 43,000 developers

estimated 5,000 applications available

PocketPC OS Microsoft platform -

miniature versions of Microsoft applications

Palm 0S = 80% of marketPocket PC OS = 15% Palms (HandSpring Deluxe)

size 4.8X3X7 weight 5.4 oz Ram 8mb 160X160 resolution screen 2.1X2.1 display mono or color cpu speed 16-32mhz stylus input Graffiti sw AAA batteries - 2-4 weeks warranty 1 year

PocketPC (CassiopeiaE125) size 5.9X3.4X1 weight 9 oz Ram 32mb QVGA resolution 240X240 screen 4X4 display mono or color cpu NECVR 4121 cpu speed 75-205mhz stylus input Li-Ion batteries 4-12hrs warranty 1 year

Unit costs

Palms Handspring Visor

Deluxe 8mb - $169 Palm m100 2mb -

$94 Palm Vx 8mb - $249 IBM WorkPad C3

8mb - $399 Palm 505 8mb, color

- $450

Pocket PCs Cassiopeia EM500

16 mb - $399 or 32MB for $599

iPaq H3650 32mb - $499

iPaq H3150 16mb, grey-scale - $350

HP Jornada 548 32mb - $499

Peripherals

keyboard infrared pen digital cameras cell phone conversion modems GPS devices PCMCIA adapter - card that can be used in

laptop and PocketPC (e.g. modem)

General software access

www.handheldmed.com (by residents for residents)

www.palmgear.com www.palm.com www.handspring.com www.handango.com http://download.cnet.com/

Software costs

Free Shareware $10 - $50 Commercial up to $400 Can usually get a free-trial for a set

number of days

Inputting data, loading software

Data input Tapping letters on virtual keyboard with a stylus Handwriting recognition Palms infrared pen Avantgo and channels

Loading software Preloaded with calendar, to do list, address book,

etc. Synchronization - USB or serial cradles plug into

computers Download via internet capable desktop

Business driving PDA market:

incestuous relationship between PDAs and Pharmaceutical companies

development of e-lab services

“charge capture” services -- accurately capture/ document clinical activities performed by physicians

Patient care driving PDA market

“…contributing to medical mistakes are ”

poor physician handwriting

prescription errors due to wrong dosages or missing known drug allergies

omitting an important treatment step

inability to locate a chart

lack of proper follow-up

Source: National Institute of Medicine, November 1999

Point-of-care motivating factors

In the doctor-patient visit, "if a physician can not locate information in 60 seconds, he/she rarely has time to access information to apply to the patient diagnosis or treatment.”

Dr. David Slawson of UVA

Physician PDA usage

General use =15% 1999, 26% 2001 Integral practice use =10% 1999, 18%

2001 Physicians under 45 = 33% Physicians over 45 = 21% Hospital based = 33% Office based = 23% Half of all docs will use by 2004-2005

Source: HarrisInteractive Computing in the Physician’s Practice, Health Care News, August 15, 2001, page 1-2.

How physicians are using

Drug data (ePocrates downloaded by 80,000+ physicians*)

Medical calculator (MedCalc, PregPro) Medical rules (MedRules) Medical Records (PatientKeeper) Prescription writing (AllScripts - stay on

formulary $$$)

*Tieman, Jeff. “Doc use of handheld computers set to rise.” Healthcare, November 6, 2000, p. 34

Great Demo of PDA Patient Record System!

UNC Health Affairs PDA use

3rd and 4th year Medical Students required Department of Family Medicine residents

Todd Meath, CNE – palm server Department of Anesthesiology residents Masters in Nursing – not required but

seeing pocket pcs Proliferating in the hospital

The latest in PDAs

25% larger viewing; QVGA screen (240 x 320); 3 times more pixels; screen rotation; 2 slots for add-ons like wireless modems, ethernet cards, digital phone cards & bar code scanners; 2MB internal Flash memory & 8MB internal RAM increases memory to 1GB+; voice recorder & audio; one-hand operation; amplified speaker; jog wheel; twice the battery life, drop virtual graffiti area for larger viewing screen, Quickoffice™, built-in back-up program,

priced at $349.99

HandEra 330 – PDA on steroids

Motorola Accompli 009

mobile phone, text messaging,high-speed network connections,personal calendar, address book, planner, notepad,e-mail, etc., 256-color display,QWERTY keyboard,

http://www.commerce.motorola.com/consumer/QWhtml/a009.html

PDA Ouches & Ahahs

Ouch #1

Screen size

Improving displays

Folding screen E Ink, Cambridge, Gyricon Media

Flexible screens using electrostatic charges orient white microscopic particles suspended in tiny spheres

Monocular goggles using magnifying lenses

eShades = 19 inch desktop at 2.5 feet

eCase = 19 inch desktop at 2.5 feet

Ouch #2

Patient confidentiality

Patient confidentiality

HIPAA Patient records on PDAs must not be

“patient identifiable” Implement additional security

PDA password protected and add encryption software (e.g. EasyLock

or Commander 1.46)

Ouch #3

Inputting/connectivity

Most Applications Are “Enabled” by 2.5G

Source: Motorola

Data Rates (Kbps) 9.6 14.4 32 64 128 384 2000

Applications Application Performance Rating

Short Messaging

Synchronization

Location Services

Still Image Transfer

Email

Video Lower Quality

Document Transfer

Database Access

Internet Web Access

Video High Quality

= Poor = Fair = Excellent

courtesy of John D. Halamka, MD, MS, Chief Medical Information Officer, CareGroup Healthcare System

Ahah - 3G Technology

3G = Third generation UMTS (Universal Mobile

Telecommunications Systems) Broadband, packet-based test transmission,

digital voice, video, & multimedia data rates 2 megabits per second

Constant attachment to Internet via terrestrial wireless & satellite transmissions = always on

Ouch #4

the “bandolier” effect

Ahahs SmartPhone

Web ready, Palm-powered wireless handset that combines PDA with the connectivity of a wireless phone

Ahah?

How to Do Everything with Visor David Johnson, Rick Broida

How to do Everything with Your Palm Handheld Dave Johnson, Rick Brodia

www.amazon.com

FAQ sites

Cnet’s www.help.com www.palm.com/support www.visorcentral.com www.palminfocenter.com www.pdabuzz.com www.palmgear.com/faq

Trends for planning

“Within 10 years, 40% of adults and 75% of teens will have always-on, wearable computing and communication capabilities.”

Jackie Fenn, Gartner Analysis, February 19, 2001 ComputerWorld, p. 58

Instead of constantly trying to adapt to change, we will change to being adaptive

What librarians do is evolutionary, how we do it will be revolutionary

Stressor: integrating personal mobile devices & library supplied devices

Every student must have the same “device advantage”

ubiquitous mobility & access will place spotlight on user needs & librarians’ skills rather than on technology

smart phones + smart shoes + smart appliances ≠ smart users

Mobile/personal technology: implications for libraries

identify the

ouchouch,plan

for the

ahahahah

http://www.unc.edu/~wmclendohttp://www.unc.edu/~wmclendo