Development and testing of an evaluation scale of personal digital assistants

Influence of patient and provider factors on the workload of on-call physicians: A general internal medicine cohort observational study

Factors associated with the physician workload are scarcely reported. The study aims to investigate the associated factors of on-call physician workload based on a published conceptual framework.The study was conducted in a general internal medicine unit of National Taiwan University Hospital. On-call physician workloads were recorded on a shift basis from 1198 hospitalized patients between May 2010 and April 2011. The proxy of on-call workloads included night calls, bedside evaluation/management (E/M), and performing clinical procedures in a shift. Multivariable logistic and negative binomial regression models were used to determine the factors associated with the workloads of on-call physicians.During the study period, 378 (31.6%) of patients had night calls with related workloads. Multivariate analysis showed that the number of patients with unstable conditions in a shift (odds ratio [OR] 1.89 and 1.66, respectively) and the intensive care unit (ICU) training of the nurse leader (OR 2.87 and 3.08, respectively) resulted in higher likelihood of night calls to and bedside E/M visits by the on-call physician. However, ICU training of nurses (OR = 0.37, 95% confidence interval: 0.16-0.86) decreased the demand of performing clinical procedures by the on-call physician. Moreover, number of patients with unstable conditions (risk ratio [RR] 1.52 and 1.55, respectively) had significantly increased the number of night calls and bedside E/M by on-call physicians by around 50%. Nurses with N1 level (RR 2.16 and 2.71, respectively) were more likely to place night calls and facilitate bedside E/M by the on-call physician compared to nurses with N0 level. In addition, the nurse leaders with ICU training (RR 1.72 and 3.07, respectively) had significant increases in night calls and bedside E/M by the on-call physician compared to those without ICU training.On-call physician workload is associated with patient factors and the training of nurses. Number of unstable patients in a shift may be considered in predicting workload. The training of nurses may improve patient safety and decrease demand for clinical procedure.

The feasibility of Web-based surveys as a data collection tool: a process evaluation

This study used a cross-sectional survey design with a concurrent process evaluation to examine the feasibility of using Web surveys in a population of acute care neonatal and pediatric nurses. The purpose of conducting a process evaluation was to understand if using strategies such as maximizing face-to-face communication with participants, sending reminder notices, and providing continuous support would encourage nurses to use a Web-based survey. In addition, we sought feedback about where nurses completed the survey, the number of sittings and length of time it took, and why participants that selected the print mode chose not to use the Web.

Back to the future: personal digital assistants in nursing education

This article provides an overview of the current state of the art for incorporating personal digital assistants (PDAs) into nursing education. The development of PDA technology and the lessons learned by educators integrating PDA technology into nursing curricula are described. The current cycle of PDA evolution is discussed and contrasted with a proposed model for maximizing the impact of PDAs on technological innovation in nursing education and practice.