Hand Held Medicine

Once you have decided which operating system to standardize on, your next choice is what specific make and model to purchase. Because prices can range from CA$200 to over CA$1000, this can be a daunting decision to make-and it’s made even more difficult by the fact that new models and pricing are announced almost every month! To make it easier, here are eight generic guidelines:

a. Entry level is good. Although it’s always a temptation to buy the lowest-priced unit, remember that this will likely become one of your most essential reference and organizational tools, and it will take a beating.
The Palm Z series will not be good enough for your needs. It doesn’t come with enough memory for medical applications, and you’ll end up spending more money than the sticker price because you’ll have to spend extra for additional memory.
The Palm TX series will do fine. It has sufficient memory for all the programs you’ll need to take the place of heavy textbooks.

b. B is for Blackberry. This device, also known as the “Crackberry” because of its addictive nature, has made its presence known in a short period of time. There are many models out there.

The easiest way to figure out what type you want, is, if it has a keyboard then it can load software.

Another way to tell, if you can hook it up to your computer with a cable then you’re good to go. If you can’t hook it up to the computer, then you can’t load software on it. It uses the “Blackberry Desktop Manager” application that you install on your computer.

Always check for compatibility with your important software before you buy.

c. C is for Connectivity. Wireless access to the internet is now standard on handheld devices, but it can be quite confusing to figure out all the various options, and how they may be useful to you. For details on this topic, visit the Connectivity section of this site.
In brief, we have found that wireless features, though potentially useful, are not easily accessable on campus or in the hospitals.

d. All modern handhelds offer memory card slots for easy expandability. Though there are limitations to what can be put on these cards (the program portion of many applications must still be loaded into working memory, though the database portion can be installed on the card), they are most useful when it comes to storing space-hogging media like photos, music, movies, and documents.

If you’re going to buy a memory card (usually a Secure Digital, or SD, card for PalmOS units, and SD or Compact Flash, or CF, cards for PocketPC units) then more is better, and cheaper. As of 2007 a 2 GIG SD Card will go for about $200.

Some palm software applications that you install will not allow you to install them on an SD card, and it must be loaded on the main memory of the palm.

e. E is for Extras.
Consider peripherals before buying. There are many add-on peripherals available for PalmOS units, from modems and keyboards to MP3 players and digital cameras. Many, however, are designed for specific makes and models. The standardization on the SD Input/Output (SDIO) slot is helping to solve this problem somewhat, but PalmOne keeps changing their hotsync port and power cord design, which is very frustrating. Keep this in mind when purchasing-or, more importantly, upgrading–because if you need to replace all your peripherals, then the initial purchase price will be a lot higher.

f.F is for Fast.
The faster the better. Until a couple of years ago, all PalmOS all models used the same speed processors, so there wasn’t much choice. Now speeds have gone from an average of 16Mhz up to 33Mhz and 66Mhz–and even up to 200Mhz for some units running PalmOS version 5.0. In general, the faster the processor, the faster the operating system will be (in drop down menus, searches, etc.), and the longer it will be useful to you.

g. Even though rechargeable batteries are now the standard, power is actually more of a problem now than it ever was before. In the “good old days” of slow monochrome Palms batteries would last for weeks or months, but newer high-speed models are starting to boast “10 days” as their average life, meaning maybe 10 hours of actual “on-time.” So, if you have a rechargeable model, and are going to be away from “home” for a while, you need to bring along a travel recharger or a hotsync/charger combination cable that plugs into the USB port on your laptop. Travel rechargers are available for all handhelds in a variety of configurations, and run on 110 V AC for a wall plug-in, and 12 V DC for car/boat/plane.

Also keep in mind that the use of peripherals like keyboards will discharge the battery even more quickly than usual, as will features like IR or Bluetooth, or a bright screen. Detach or turn off/down these features if they are not in use to increase your battery life. External keyboards are a particular problem because most do not allow you to charge your Palm while using them, which results in greatly decreased battery life. Separately-powered keyboards that communicate wirelessly with the Palm using Bluetooth may solve this problem.

For the seasoned traveller, battery extenders are small devices that allow you to run and recharge a Palm handheld from ordinary batteries while away from a wall source of electricity, or if the handheld’s battery drains before you can recharge it from plug-in. Keep in mind also that after a year or two of daily use, some rechargeable batteries will begin to fail, no longer holding a charge. Replacement batteries can be inserted, but usually the owner will have to send the handheld away for that service.

There are three main types of handheld PDA’s on the market today, and many different models of each, making the purchase decision quite complicated. The decision really boils down to which handheld you want to go with-this choice will define all your other choices with respect to hardware, software, and peripherals. Most are compatible with all three, but not all.

For years, our strong recommendation has been to standardize on the Palm operating system (or PalmOS), because of:

highest overall market share
ease of use
wide selection of software

With the emergence of all-in-one devices has made the selection of which PDA to purchase a challenge. These devices feature the ability to use email, surf the web, be a cell phone and obviously contain palm software. The Blackberry has quickly taken hold of the all-in-one device market, and most software titles that were traditionally Palm based are compatible with this device. If you have important software that you must be able to use, check first before you buy.
Here are some pros to consider regarding an all-in-one device:

You will only have 1 device, so no cell phone and pager and PDA to carry around. This is great because you won’t have the geek utility belt look.
1 monthly bill.
You will always be able to be in contact with everyone.

Here are some cons to consider regarding an all-in-one device:

You will only have 1 device, so no cell phone and pager. So if you lose it, you’ve lost everything.
Another monthly bill.
You will always be able to be in contact with everyone.

Palms, Microsoft PocketPCs and Blackberries are becoming a popular tool in medical education and practice.
These devices are best known for their built-in scheduling, email and phonebook features. They are also, however, capable of running a huge variety of medical software, from drug references, vitamin library and textbooks to medical calculators and image viewers.

In contrast to desktop or even laptop computers, handhelds are very small and light, offer the convenience of “instant-on” and a relatively long battery life, and are much more rugged (no moving parts).

In recognition of their capabilities, of the fact that many of the students, faculty and staff of the Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine are already using them, and of the exponential growth of their use in other medical schools and healthcare institutions such as chiropractic school studying sciatica, a committee was formed in January 2001 for the purpose of putting together this recommendation document. Our primary goal was and still is to provide up-to-date recommendations for the use of handhelds in medical education. In addition, we will work with the Personal Computer Purchase Centre (PCPC), DoctorsNS, and other partners to promote the program, obtain discounts on hardware and software, and provide training and support.

Everything in this document is a recommendation, not a requirement. The statements made here are based on the best information available at the time of writing, but models, prices, version numbers, phone numbers and website addresses can change at any time, and may not be up to date. All recommendations should be independently researched and verified to make sure they are the best choice for your particular situation and needs. See our Disclaimer and Copyright page.

We encourage your feedback on the contents of this document, so that future versions can contain the best and most accurate information possible.