How mobile devices are changing pharmacy practice

Abstract

The first mobile devices to enter the market were the personal digital assistants (PDAs) of the late 1990s and early 2000s, and they ushered in the era of handheld computers. PDAs combined popular features of electronic tools (e.g., calculator) and computer apps applications (e.g., e-mail, calendar, planner) into a single handheld device and were identified as potential mobile resources in medical and pharmacy practice.1,–7 Studies examining the patterns of PDA use among physicians and pharmacists revealed that these devices served as drug information references and facilitated medical calculations, supporting clinical activities.8,–10 PDAs also helped to reduce adverse drug events, identify potentially dangerous drug interactions, document clinical activities, and increase productivity.11,–20 However, these devices had notable limitations in their processing power, memory storage, and capabilities and lacked a supportive electronic infrastructure with readily available cellular data services and wireless Internet. Mobile technology has undergone rapid advances in the past several years with the release of the modern smartphone and tablet computer. These devices have become a societal mainstay with which users can conduct everyday functions. The medical field has also seen an increased interest in the use of mobile devices in clinical care. Whereas 20–70% of physicians, medical residents, and medical students in the early 2000s had PDAs, recent data suggest that over 90% of these individuals have a smartphone.21,–25 Many residents and students use their mobile devices during their didactic training and throughout their professional years.22,–26 This shift in the use of mobile technology is due to the amalgamation of different functions into a handheld tool that can be used for both clinical and societal applications.