Personal digital assistant use in Florida obstetrics and gynecology residency programs

Improvements in electronic technologies have resulted in affordable, smaller computers that operate at faster speeds. The personal digital assistant (PDA) is a tool that has the potential to enhance residency education by allowing residents immediate access to an abundance of information. This article assesses the current use of this tool at obstetrics and gynecology residency programs in the state of Florida. The authors conducted a statewide survey addressing the general question: is the PDA useful in an obstetrics and gynecology residency training program? Specifically, the authors asked residents how much time was perceived to be saved weekly with the use of this tool, and in what aspect of their training use of this tool was most helpful. At the survey's close, five of seven programs had returned the survey for evaluation. These five institutions included both university- and community-based residency programs. Forty percent of obstetrics and gynecology residents at these programs responded to this questionnaire. Resident responses to the survey revealed that most of the perceived benefit was in maintaining procedural statistics logs, pharmacology reference manuals, and personal clinical protocols. Most responses revealed that only minimal time savings (