Use of Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) in Medical Education

Abstract

A systematic review of how the personal digital assistants (PDAs) have been used in healthcare professions and medical education has been conducted in order to identify current usage of PDAs in both areas. The major aim of this research is to study the feasibility of incorporating PDAs into problem-based learning (PBL) medical education. A systematic review was conducted by exploring various databases on the use of PDAs in two major areas: the healthcare professions and medical education during the period 2000-2006. Results: The needs, patterns and functionalities of using PDAs in the medical profession have been identified and categorized into different areas. What remains is to how to best incorporate PDAs into a PBL approach to medical education at the University of Wollongong.