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Use of handheld devices with electronic patient diaries (EPDs) can improve the quality of patient-reported information collected in clinical and research settings. EPDs have advantages compared with traditional paper-based instruments that include decreased data entry error and decreased time spent on data management. Orthopaedic pain management, which is often dependent on patient-reported pain levels, can benefit from the use of EPDs. A pilot survey was conducted to compare two self-report pain diary methods in shoulder surgery patients: (a) EPD or (b) paper entry. Compliance was lower in the EPD group, which was attributed to insufficient ease of use. Handheld technology can be used by nurses to improve and streamline patient care by capturing clinical data, by organizing and reporting home health services, and by providing references for evidence-based practice. Handheld technology can facilitate the transformation of clinical documentation of assessments, interventions, and outcomes into evidence-based decision making in orthopaedic nursing.
Handheld Technology
Complete and accurate data capture is essential for reaching valid outcomes in orthopaedic nursing research. Orthopaedic nursing research projects often rely on patient-reported information, such as pain intensity, as outcomes measures. The spectrum of patient-reported information includes symptom frequency counts, subjective symptom severity reporting, and quality-of-life reporting. Use of handheld devices with electronic diaries can improve the capture of patient-reported information in clinical and research settings. In the past, paper diaries have been used to collect patient-reported data. Paper diaries lend themselves to problems such as poor data quality and poor subject compliance (Hufford & Shields, 2002). Use of electronic patient diaries for data collection has advantages compared with traditional paper-based instruments that include decreased data entry error, decreased paper use, decreased time spent on data management, and decreased cost (Chan, Chu, Cheng, & Chen, 2004; Hanscom, Lurie, Homa, & Weinstein, 2002; Saleh et al., 2002). The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) defines an electronic patient diary (EPD) as an electronic record, which allows a subject participating in a clinical trial to directly enter observations or to directly respond to an evaluation checklist (FDA, 1999).
Handheld technology can also be used by nurses to improve and streamline patient care by enhancing information retrieval, simplifying clinical calculations, and improving communication (Thompson, 2005b). Handheld technology enhances patient care by providing nurses with light and...