How to Select a PDA for Nursing

The PDA you select will depend on the needs you have.

With various models and options of PDAs on the market these days, it may be overwhelming to find the PDA that is best for nursing. Choosing the right PDA will depend on the nursing tasks you need your PDA to accomplish. Narrowing down the options a PDA offers and the nursing tasks to be used will greatly increase the chances of getting a PDA that matches the nursing tasks to be carried out.

Instructions

Selecting a Nursing PDA

1. Decide how you will be using your PDA and the nursing needs you may have. Will you be using your PDA for patient scheduling or such basic work-related tasks as saving notes, or will you be using nurses' applications such as medical drug references or dosing calculators. If you're using your PDA for computing nursing applications, look for a PDA that has a higher processor speed and more storage.

2. Choose the processing speed by looking at the way you plan to use your PDA. A basic nursing PDA with speeds of 300+ megahertz (MHz) will cover basic needs such as patient scheduling and patient notes. However, 500 MHz speeds will work better for running nurse applications such as signs and symptoms checkers, drug reference guides, dosing calculators and other medical software.

3. 

   Some PDAs come with upgradable memory.

   Choose a PDA that has the storage options that will fit your needs. If nursing applications are to be installed on the PDA ,you will want a PDA that has higher built-in memory or upgradable memory. Upgradable memory permits the PDA owner to buy larger SD cards to increase memory. Remember the more functions of the nursing applications, the higher the memory will need to be to avoid lockups in the program or complete shutdown.

4. 

   PDAs come with various operating systems.

   Decide on the type of operating system that will fit your needs. Look at the nursing applications you will be placing onto the PDA and check the operating system requirements. Most new applications will require the newest versions of operating systems before they can be installed, while basic applications will run on older and newer versions of operating systems. Look at the types of nursing programs you wish to install and check the operating system requirements.

5. 

   PDAs come in different shapes and sizes.

   Choose the style of PDA that suits your needs and taste. Screen sizes may be important because of the types of nursing applications you may be running. To be able to efficiently use the applications, the screen size should be a comfortable fit for you. When working with dosages or reading detailed nursing information, having a small screen will not be beneficial.

6. 

   PDAs come with a multitude of functions.

   Choose the functions that are important to you. PDAs come with a wide variety of functions from Wi-Fi capabilities that will permit connection to the Internet from any wireless Internet source to mobile phone functions that permit your PDA to act as a cellular device. If your company uses online nursing databases, having a PDA with Wi-Fi capabilities can place the information at your fingertips.

7. 

   Setting a budget before hand will help assist you in selecting the right PDA.

   Set your budget and look at PDAs in your guidelines and compare the features. Compare the brand names and the warranties that come with the PDA against one another.

Tips & Warnings

• Discuss with other nurses the pro and cons of the PDAs they are using.

• Do not let store representatives lead you into buying a PDA that does not fully suit your nursing needs.

References

• The PDA Pro: Find a PDA
• Gaebler: Selecting the Right PDA

Resources

• TopBits: What is a PDA?