| Personal digital assistants (PDAs) have become a valuable communication tool for physicians by allowing them to have instant access to clinical references; to calculate important parameters; and to retrieve, record, and store patient data at the point-of-care. Despite the apparent efficacy of PDA-based point-of-care systems, research has indicated that the PDA adoption rate in healthcare sector slowed during 2004. This study employed secondary analysis of published research studies involving PDA-based systems implementation in a clinical setting from 1995 to June 2005 to examine the barriers that discourage PDA adoption by healthcare practitioners. The sample included 121 studies---83 conducted in the United States, 18 in Canada, 11 in Europe, and 9 in Asia. As a secondary analysis study, this research used a combination of quantitative and qualitative perspectives with cross-tabulation, chi-square analysis, Fisher's exact test, and content analysis techniques. Following Ajzen's theory of planned behavior, Davis' technology acceptance model, and DeLone and McLean's updated information systems success model, the barriers identification process was focused on the following major factors influencing potential and existing users' decisions toward use of particular technology: (a) perceived usefulness, (b) ease of use, (c) behavioral beliefs and outcome evaluations, (d) normative beliefs and motivation to comply, (e) control beliefs and perceived facilitation, and (f) service quality. The study found that the tested barriers to PDA adoption had been changing during the last decade. The changing trends were qualitatively different in clinician surveys compared to experiments in the clinical setting and in experiments with Pocket PCs compared to experiments with Palm OS devices. Based on the findings of this investigation, recommendations for healthcare organizations and PDA technology vendors were provided to facilitate increased PDA usage by healthcare practitioners. |
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