Using PDAs for Data Collection in Emergency Departments
Author Information
Author(s): Rivera Morris L, Donnelly Jason, Parry Blair A, Dinizio Anthony, Johnson Charles L, Kline Jeffrey A, Kabrhel Christopher
Primary Institution: Dept. of Emergency Medicine, Hilo Medical Center, Hilo, HI, USA
Hypothesis
The study aims to compare the performance of PDA and paper enrollment instruments in terms of time required and errors generated.
Conclusion
Using a PDA-based data collection instrument for clinical research reduces the time required for data gathering and significantly improves data integrity.
Supporting Evidence
- Total data gathering times were significantly less for PDA (6:13 min per patient) compared to paper (9:12 min per patient).
- There were a total of 0.9 missing and nonsense errors per paper form compared to 0.2 errors per PDA form.
- An additional 0.7 errors per paper form were generated during transcription.
Takeaway
Using a handheld device to collect patient information is faster and makes fewer mistakes than using paper forms.
Methodology
Patients were randomized to have their data recorded either on a PDA or a paper form, and the time and error rates were compared.
Potential Biases
The study was unblinded, which may introduce observation bias.
Limitations
Two paper forms were lost, and the study did not measure the time required to program the PDAs or train the research team.
Participant Demographics
Patients presenting to the emergency department for diagnostic testing for acute pulmonary embolism.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p < 0.001
Statistical Significance
p < 0.001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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