Best handheld/PDA for use in medicine?

[bobstudent]

I was reading in the AMSA magazine that more and more docs are getting handhelds or PDAs ("It's a Wired, Wired World", The New Physician, May-June 2001). Does anyone have an opinion on the best handheld or PDA device to use in the medical field?

I've done some research and there's definitely more software available for the Palm OS, but I think the Windows CE versions will catch up soon. There's an article in Handheldmed http://www.handheldmed.com/newsmore.php?NID=260&DETAIL=Hardware that talks about the ability of Windows CE machines to interface with MS Excel and Access databases. That's something a Palm OS device can't do yet, right?

Even without considering Windows CE devices, there's so many models of Palms and a handful of Visors to consider. I know that getting anything less than 8MB of RAM is useless. There's a new PDA made by the TRGPro people called the Handera at http://www.handera.com/products/330feat.asp which looks pretty nice. It doesn't have a color screen like the new Sony Clie, but it does have a jog dial. It's also got a CF slot and a SD slot with a voice recorder function built-in.

I'm also interested in Handspring Visors because they are less expensive and standardized. My medical school is installing hot sync cradles in the computer labs, but because every single Palm has a different cradle (unlike Visors) they won't be able to accommodate all the Palm users.

Maybe my main question is, should I even consider getting one? I'm not lucky enough to go to a med school that hands out Palms to all their students. I'll be starting my 3rd year clerkships in June (hopefully after passing the boards) and I know that by the time I graduate 2 years later, whatever I buy now will be outdated anyway. Some residency programs will give their residents Palms, so maybe I should wait until then. I'd hate to spend so much money (I'm already over $150,000 in debt) and end up regretting it. I don't even have a TV, so if I spend $300-$400 on a PDA, I'd kick myself for not getting a TV instead.

I appreciate any advice you guys have on this. I'd especially like to hear from people who have experience using handhelds in the wards or clinics (like you pup91575)! Also, do patients think it's weird when you consult a PDA or is it better than pulling out a pocket reference book?

[hapoo]

Go for a palm Vx, they're down to about 200 dollars and are compact and sleek :) i should know, i have one. I dont think the Win CE devices are going to catch up to palms when it comes to medical software anytime soon. And their ARE third party programs that let you sync up with Office products (access, excel, word).

[KoalaFD]

Bob,

Finishing up my 4th year here at UCSD.

I have a Palm III. I had a Palm Pilot. I had a Pilot when it was still US Robotics. I have not once used it for medical purposes. Just a glorified task sheet for me... and maybe an address book too. My PDAs just sit in their cradles while I'm on call....

Kind of annoyed me when students would pull out their new PDAs. Don't know why. For the clerkships, you'll need, for reference, only a few things: (1) Pharmacopeia, (2) Sanford Guide. Everything else is memorizable.

Is there schools that give out Palms? I don't know if my next year's residency program will be doing that for me... would be nice I suppose.

For medical school, though, the PDA is unnecessary. And is actually, most of the time, slower than consulting your handy, dandy quick pocket references.

Work on developing the brain in your head instead of acquiring one in your pocket. :)

Good luck with the clerkships. Those are hard. You'll love 4th year. Promise. :)

[Jeffbx]

Although I'm a big fan of CE, I'd recommend that you start off with something more lightweight, like the VIIx or the m105 to keep your costs down. Then once you decide if you really use it or not, you may want to consider an upgrade to a beefier Palm or a CE.

Here's a couple of links that might help:

http://themedicalguide.hypermart.net/
http://www.pda-archives.com/wince/11.htm

[bobstudent]

Thanks for all the advice! It looks like the votes are in favor of a low-end Palm Vx, VIIx for now and upgrading to a high-end CE or Handera in the future. I think KoalaFD's recommendation is to get the TV instead.

KoalaFD: My friend just graduated from UCSD med school last year! Great school, but you guys work really hard (meaning the faculty has nothing to do with your ranking or board scores). Have you tried the 5-Minute Clinical Consult on your Palm? I've heard from others that it's really useful for the clinics, but not in the wards. I hope the match went well for you. I heard residency is even worse than 3rd year!

For anyone that's interested, Wake Forest U School of Medicine in North Carolina hands all of their freshmen $2,500 laptops. When they get to 3rd year, they all get Palms. My tuition is higher, so I'm hoping I'm getting a better education (yeah, right). U of Minnesota Med School lends out Palms to their 4th year students. My school is too cheap to even lend us pagers. Good Samaritan Hospital in Baltimore buys all of their residents Palms.

[KoalaFD]

Originally posted by bobstudent
Thanks for all the advice! It looks like the votes are in favor of a low-end Palm Vx, VIIx for now and upgrading to a high-end CE or Handera in the future. I think KoalaFD's recommendation is to get the TV instead.

KoalaFD: My friend just graduated from UCSD med school last year! Great school, but you guys work really hard (meaning the faculty has nothing to do with your ranking or board scores). Have you tried the 5-Minute Clinical Consult on your Palm? I've heard from others that it's really useful for the clinics, but not in the wards. I hope the match went well for you. I heard residency is even worse than 3rd year!

For anyone that's interested, Wake Forest U School of Medicine in North Carolina hands all of their freshmen $2,500 laptops. When they get to 3rd year, they all get Palms. My tuition is higher, so I'm hoping I'm getting a better education (yeah, right). U of Minnesota Med School lends out Palms to their 4th year students. My school is too cheap to even lend us pagers. Good Samaritan Hospital in Baltimore buys all of their residents Palms.

Heheh... buy the TV... yeah, I guess I did say that huh? :) Well, make sure you get whatever you get through a Got Apex? referral!

Match went very well. I'll be going to USC for Orthopaedics. Thanks for your wishes. I'm looking forward to it although I'm kind of dreading it too. Go figure.

You're serious? Schools give students stuff? All I got was a beat down! :P AND I had to pay $50 a month for parking!

[RezERez]

Speaking as an employee of the IT Department at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, we have been using the Palm Vx as the standard device... not all doctors use them however, and RN's and support staff don't get to touch them... we've got a couple of internal apps being developed for Palm OS right now... price always has been and will continue to be a primary concern for any healthcare organization and the Palm (and its variants i.e. Handspring Visor, TRGPro and Sony Clie) will always be less than a Pocket PC.