A survey conducted by MedAmerica Mutual Risk Retention Group Inc. found that its physicians were able to avoid a range of medical errors by using PDAs. The California-based liability payer surveyed 224 of its insured physicians for the study, conducted throughout 2003 and 2004.
Sixty-five percent of survey respondents said they avoided dosing errors by using PDAs. Another 58% said they avoided dosing frequency errors. Further, 25% said they avoided a drug error; 24% a therapeutic error; and 18% avoided other errors.
MedAmerica Mutual conducted the survey to assess the impact of its support of PDA use in clinical care. In 2001, the payer began offering its physicians PDAs and subsidies to purchase drug reference software from ePocrates Inc.
MedAmerica Mutual's survey also found that 66% of its physicians use their PDAs to look up information and perform medical calculations on every shift. An additional 15% of respondents said they use the hand-helds during more than half their shifts.
Additionally, 93% of the physicians said they use the PDAs to access drug reference software; 56% to make medical calculations; and 38% for other medical references.
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