Is PDA Good for Complex Documentation in Healthcare?

The screen interface has been believed to be the major barrier for the adoption of mobile devices with small display in healthcare. The study objective was to evaluate nurses' perception of the ease of use and usefulness of PDA application, designed with customerized design principles. The PDA application consisted of 18 categories composed of 262 questions over 63 screens, which was designed based on a 21-page Chinese version of the interRAI MDS-HC homecare assessment tool. A WiFi Palm(c)-based PDA was used. A convenience sample of 60 subjects was invited for evaluation in terms of Davis' Technology Acceptance Model. Results show that close to 95% and 93% of the subjects agreed, overall, the system was easy to use and useful for their work. We conclude that PDAs can be improved and managed to achieve to a very high usability with right interface design principles.