Resident procedure and resuscitation tracking using a palm computer

Resident procedure and resuscitation tracking is an onerous task required for residency accreditation and for future hospital privilege applications by the resident. To date, most tracking systems have been somewhat cumbersome and prone to data loss (forms not being filled out, recorded, etc.). Our residency program uses a palm computer database tracking system utilizing Palm III (3Com) hardware and a custom written data collection form utilizing an inexpensive, commercially available software package (Pendragon Forms (version 2), Pendragon Software Corporation, Libertyville, IL). Every resident receives a Palm III on entry into the residency. Residents enter basic demographic data and record procedures and resuscitations into the Palm III after each encounter. Generally, each patient logged requires approximately one minute for data entry. On a frequent basis, the resident's Palm is 'HotSync-ed' and the recorded data transferred to the program's central computer. Resident data are easily manipulated and reports are generated using a common, relational database program (Access97, Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA). We have found this system to be relatively inexpensive, to improve data capture, to reduce demands on secretarial time, and to allow improved tracking of resident procedure and resuscitation experiences.