The use of Personal Digital Assistants in Nursing Education

Abstract

The use of Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and smartphones (combined mobile telephone and PDA) in Nurse Education is a relatively new development, in its infancy. The use of mobile technologies by health care professionals is increasing, and it seems likely to accelerate, as mobile information and communication technologies become more ubiquitous in wider society. The chapter reports on a small-scale feasibility study to evaluate the practicalities of supporting student nurses on their first clinical placements with PDAs that have been pre-loaded with reusable e-learning objects. The student nurses generally found the PDA easy to use and carry on their person, valued the availability of the reusable e-learning object on their clinical placements and called for more of them to be made available to learners.