4 research outputs found
Physicians’ Perspective From a Survey
Background: As a result of demographic changes, physicians are required to
deliver needed services with limited resources. Research suggests that tablet
PCs with access to patient data may streamline clinical workflow. A recent
study found tablets with mobile electronic medical records (EMRs) can
facilitate data retrieval and produce time savings across the clinical routine
within hospital settings. However, the reasons for these time savings,
including details on how tablets were being used, remain unclear. The same
applies to physicians’ perceptions of this tool within an inpatient setting.
Objective: This study examined physicians’ perception of tablets with EMRs in
an inpatient setting. The rationale was to identify both subjective and
objective factors that impacted the successful implementation and use of
tablets running an EMR. Methods: We developed a 57-item survey questionnaire
designed to examine users’ perception of and attitude toward tablets, which
was administered to 14 participating physicians following 7 weeks of tablet
use. Five participants volunteered to participate in a second study that
investigated physicians’ patterns of tablet use within the EMR environment by
digitally tracking and storing usage behavior. Statistical analyses of
questionnaire results included mean values with their bootstrapped 95%
confidence intervals and multivariate analysis of variance to identify
predictors of tablet use. Results: Physicians reported high degrees of
satisfaction with the tablets. There was a general consensus among physicians
that tablet use streamlined clinical workflow through optimized data retrieval
(rated 0.69, 0.23-1.15 points better than control) and improved communication
with patients and other physicians (rated 0.85, 0.54-1.15 and 0.77, 0.38-1.15
points better than control, respectively). Age (F3,11=3.54, P=.04),
occupational group (F1,11=7.17, P=.04), and attitude toward novel technologies
(F1,11=10.54, P=.02) predicted physicians’ satisfaction with the devices and
their motivation regarding their further use. Tracking data yielded that only
a few of the available functions were used frequently. Conclusions: Although
tablet PCs were consistently perceived as beneficial, several factors
contributed to the fact that their full potential was not fully exploited.
Training in functionality and providing a reliable infrastructure might foster
successful tablet implementation
Mobile Air Quality Studies (MAQS) - an international project
Due to an increasing awareness of the potential hazardousness of air pollutants, new laws, rules and guidelines have recently been implemented globally. In this respect, numerous studies have addressed traffic-related exposure to particulate matter using stationary technology so far. By contrast, only few studies used the advanced technology of mobile exposure analysis. The Mobile Air Quality Study (MAQS) addresses the issue of air pollutant exposure by combining advanced high-granularity spatial-temporal analysis with vehicle-mounted, person-mounted and roadside sensors. The MAQS-platform will be used by international collaborators in order 1) to assess air pollutant exposure in relation to road structure, 2) to assess air pollutant exposure in relation to traffic density, 3) to assess air pollutant exposure in relation to weather conditions, 4) to compare exposure within vehicles between front and back seat (children) positions, and 5) to evaluate "traffic zone"- exposure in relation to non-"traffic zone"-exposure. Primarily, the MAQS-platform will focus on particulate matter. With the establishment of advanced mobile analysis tools, it is planed to extend the analysis to other pollutants including including NO2, SO2, nanoparticles, and ozone