Use Of Mobile Tablets Research Articles

Mobile tablets for real-time data collection for hospital-based birth defects surveillance in Kampala, Uganda: Lessons learned.

Sustainable birth defects surveillance systems provide countries with estimates of the prevalence of birth defects to guide prevention, care activities, and evaluate interventions. We used free and open-source software (Open Data Kit) to implement an electronic system to collect data for a hospital-based birth defects surveillance system at four major hospitals in Kampala, Uganda. We describe the establishment, successes, challenges, and lessons learned from using mobile tablets to capture data and photographs. After intensive training, surveillance midwives collected data using Android tablets with inbuilt logic checks; another surveillance midwife checked the quality of the data in real-time before data were securely uploaded onto a local server. Paper forms were used when needed as a backup for the electronic system. We experienced several challenges implementing the surveillance system, including forgotten passwords, unstable network, reduced tablet speed and freezing, loss of touch-screen sensitivity, decreased battery strength, and repetitive extensive retraining. We addressed these challenges by backing up and removing all photos from the tablet, uninstalling irrelevant applications to the study to increase storage space and speed, and monitoring and updating the system based mainly on feedback from the midwives. From August 2015 to December 2018, surveillance midwives documented information on 110,752 births at the participating hospitals. Of these, 110,573 (99.8%) were directly entered into the electronic data system and 179 (0.2%) were captured on paper forms. The use of mobile tablets for real-time data collection was successful in a hospital-based birth defects surveillance system in a resource-limited setting. Extensive training and follow-up can overcome challenges and are key to preparing staff for a successful data collection system.

Mobile composing: Professional practices and impact on students’ motivation in popular music

This pilot study focuses on the use of mobile tablets to allow secondary students to compose in class with the application GarageBand. The empirical research has two aims: to demonstrate the possibility of using mobile tablets as a composing device, and to examine professional practices for using mobile technologies in music learning. A 12-week e-learning curriculum was specially designed for students to learn to use mobile tablets to compose popular music. A total of 159 secondary school students participated in the study and responded to a set of pre- and post-activity questionnaires, modelled on items developed for a motivational study by McPherson and O’Neill (2010). The paired sample t-test compared the mean score changes in the dimensions of intrinsic value, attainment value, utility value, perceived cost and expectancy in motivation. Furthermore, one-way analysis of variance compared the mean scores for scale questions on learning motivation between groups based on number of years spent learning to play an instrument as revealed by the student survey. The findings of SPSS analysis reveal that both non-instrument learners and instrument learners showed significant increases in motivation when using mobile tablets as an instrument to compose popular music in class. Different modes of learning, limitations and suggestions are also discussed in mobile composing.

A sustainability framework for mobile technology integration in schools: The case of resource-constrained environments in South Africa

The application of mobile technology integration in schools has been widely researched. However, only a few studies have extensively examined the sustainability of mobile technology integration in resource-constrained environments. Diverse contexts and devices complicate the construction of a consolidated view of how to sustain the pedagogical practice of learning with mobile devices in these environments. The purpose of this article is to indicate how feedback from teachers and district officials informed the development of a sustainability framework for mobile technology integration in schools (SFMTIS), which originated following a literature review. Employing design science research as methodology, a sustainability framework was synthesized from the existing literature. Teachers’ views were obtained regarding the integration of mobile technology in their schools and were subsequently processed to inform the further development of the framework. Teachers who had previously participated in an initiative which introduced mobile tablet use, trained those teachers, and provided information and communication technology infrastructure to their schools, were purposively selected for the study. Department of Basic Education officials based at district offices were also interviewed for their views on sustainable integration. The findings form the basis for the proposed SFMTIS in resource-constrained environments in South Africa. Besides the refined sustainability framework, the research contributes novel insights into the differing perspectives of the teachers and the district officials, and how those can impact the sustainability of mobile technology integration in resource-constrained environments.

Utility of Daily Mobile Tablet Use for Residents on an Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery Inpatient Service.

The objective of this study was to investigate the utility of electronic tablets and their capacity to increase hospital floor productivity, efficiency, improve patient care information safety, and to enhance resident education and resource utilization on a busy Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery inpatient service. This was a prospective cohort study with a 2-week pre-implementation period with standard paper census lists without mobile tablet use, and a 2-week post-implementation period followed with electronic tablets used to place orders, look up pertinent clinical data, educate patients as appropriate, and to record daily to-dos that would previously be recorded on paper. The setting for the study was Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, with 13 Otolaryngology residents comprising the study population. The time for inpatient rounding was shorter with the use tablets (p = 0.037). There was a non-significant trend in the number of times a resident had to leave rounds to look up a clinical query on a computer, with less instances occurring in the post-implementation study period. The residents felt that having a tablet facilitated more detailed and faster transfer of information, and improved ease of documentation in the medical record. Seventy percent felt tablets helped them spend more time with patients, 70 % could spend more time directly involved in rounds because they could use the tablet to query information at point-of-care, and 80 % felt tablets improved morale. The utility of a mobile tablet device coupled with the electronic health record appeared to have both quantitative and qualitative improvements in efficiency, increased time with patients and attendance at academic conferences. Tablets should be encouraged but not mandated for clinical and educational use.

Mobile Tablet Use among Academic Physicians and Trainees

The rapid adoption rate and integration of mobile technology (tablet computing devices and smartphones) by physicians is reshaping the current clinical landscape. These devices have sparked an evolution in a variety of arenas, including educational media dissemination, remote patient data access and point of care applications. Quantifying usage patterns of clinical applications of mobile technology is of interest to understand how these technologies are shaping current clinical care. A digital survey examining mobile tablet and associated application usage was administered via email to all ACGME training programs. Data regarding respondent specialty, level of training, and habits of tablet usage were collected and analyzed. 40% of respondents used a tablet, of which the iPad was the most popular. Nearly half of the tablet owners reported using the tablet in clinical settings; the most commonly used application types were point of care and electronic medical record access. Increased level of training was associated with decreased support for mobile computing improving physician capabilities and patient interactions. There was strong and consistent desire for institutional support of mobile computing and integration of mobile computing technology into medical education. While many physicians are currently purchasing mobile devices, often without institutional support, successful integration of these devices into the clinical setting is still developing. Potential reasons behind the low adoption rate may include interference of technology in doctor-patient interactions or the lack of appropriate applications available for download. However, the results convincingly demonstrate that physicians recognize a potential utility in mobile computing, indicated by their desire for institutional support and integration of mobile technology into medical education. It is likely that the use of tablet computers in clinical practice will expand in the future. Thus, we believe medical institutions, providers, educators, and developers should collaborate in ways that enhance the efficacy, reliability, and safety of integrating these devices into daily medical practice.