Abstract Objective To examine doctors' perspectives about their experiences with handheld computers in clinical practice. Design Qualitative study of eight focus groups consisting of doctors with diverse training and practice patterns. Setting Six practice settings across the United States and two additional focus group sessions held at a national meeting of general internists. Participants 54 doctors who did or did not use handheld computers. Results Doctors who used handheld computers in clinical practice seemed generally satisfied with them and reported diverse patterns of use. Users perceived that the devices helped them increase productivity and improve patient care. Barriers to use concerned the device itself and personal and perceptual constraints, with perceptual factors such as comfort with technology, preference for paper, and the impression that the devices are not easy to use somewhat difficult to overcome. Participants suggested that organisations can help promote handheld computers by providing advice on purchase, usage, training, and user support. Participants expressed concern about reliability and security of the device but were particularly concerned about dependency on the device and over-reliance as a substitute for clinical thinking. Conclusions Doctors expect handheld computers to become more useful, and most seem interested in leveraging (getting the most value from) their use. Key opportunities with handheld computers included their use as a stepping stone to build doctors' comfort with other information technology and ehealth initiatives and providing point of care support that helps improve patient care.
[1]
S. Warriner.
Handheld Computers for Doctors
,
2004
.
[2]
Peter D. Stetson,et al.
Application of Information Technology: PalmCIS: A Wireless Handheld Application for Satisfying Clinician Information Needs
,
2004,
J. Am. Medical Informatics Assoc..
[3]
Anatoly Dobrousin,et al.
Which hand-held computer is better for doctors? Part 1: Comparing models with Palm operating systems.
,
2003,
Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien.
[4]
David W. Bates,et al.
Case Report: The Use of Computers for Clinical Care: A Case Series of Advanced U.S. Sites
,
2003,
J. Am. Medical Informatics Assoc..
[5]
S. Lapinsky,et al.
Review Paper: Handheld Computing in Medicine
,
2003,
J. Am. Medical Informatics Assoc..
[6]
David W. Bates,et al.
Research Paper: Clinician Use of a Palmtop Drug Reference Guide
,
2002,
J. Am. Medical Informatics Assoc..
[7]
P. Embí.
Information at hand: using handheld computers in medicine.
,
2001,
Cleveland Clinic journal of medicine.
[8]
S Schneider,et al.
Buying your first PDA.
,
2001,
Family practice management.
[9]
H Emslie,et al.
Text entry on handheld computers by older users
,
2000,
Ergonomics.
[10]
A. Strauss,et al.
The discovery of grounded theory: strategies for qualitative research aldine de gruyter
,
1968
.