The use of a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) by physicians when treating patients in the hospital has become a global phenomenon [1]. PDAs have grown from being a portable means of accessing drug interaction information [2] to accessing clinical information systems [3] and as an e-prescribing tool, on the basis that it reduces medication and treatment error [4,5,6]. And if improved patient care was not sufficient reason to consider using PDAs, they have been shown to decrease lost billing revenue as well [7,8].

The usage of PDAs can only be expected to grow [9], especially considering the speed at which these devices are becoming more sophisticated and the software easier to use. Recent growth in wireless connectivity in the hospital is making the PDA more practical for use as a real-time work tool in the treatment of patients [10].

For the physician wanting to have a PDA project started in their department, this article will take the reader from background to the subject regarding what a physician can use a PDA for, through considerations that need to be taken, to being able to take part in a project team, depending on how much you would want to be involved in the process.