Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Opportunities In The Palm Of Your Hand: The Challenges Of Handheld Computing For Libraries And Information Services, Andrew Heath, Lisa Kruesi, Kaye Lasserre, Heather Todd, Sarah Thorning

Sarah Thorning

Since the late 1990s there has been considerable growth in the use of Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) to support the clinical information needs of health professionals and medical students. Information at the point of need has been made possible by handheld computers. PDAs are currently being used for: • accessing clinical information products such as drug information, medical dictionaries, textbooks, clinical guidelines and medical calculators • managing personal information (e.g. schedules and contacts) • storing and retrieving study materials, class notes and readings • recording patient case notes Through funding provided by the Australian Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing, …