Windows Phone Thoughts: How PDAs Help Medical Students

"Brown University medical student Jeremy Boyd leaned on the rail of Marian Thorpe's hospital bed and asked her about her collapse during dialysis. Then he asked whether she had any other medical conditions... They discussed her kidney problems, colon cancer and gout as well as her allergies and family history. Afterward, Boyd stepped into the hallway and recorded the information on his personal digital assistant. Brown recently joined a growing number of medical and nursing schools that require students to buy and use PDAs. Faculty and students say the technology saves time and helps them provide better care, in addition to reducing medical errors. Drug references and diagnostic programs can be stored on them, giving physicians information at their fingertips."

Where I live, most medical schools don't require students to have PDAs, nor is it really recommended by the teaching staff, but students have definitely recognised the value of them and purchased one to help with their work. I use mine daily - in fact, just yesterday, I had a half hour stint with the digital version of Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine and got all the information I needed in just a few "taps". If you're a medical student or a clinician with a PDA (and golly, you'd have to have one if you're reading this post ;)), do share your thoughts on how it has helped you with your work.