Use and perceived benefits of mobile devices by physicians in preventing adverse drug events in the nursing home

Abstract

Objective: Although mobile devices equipped with drug reference software may help prevent adverse drug events (ADEs) in the nursing home (NH) by providing medication information at the point of care, little is known about their use and perceived benefits. The goal of this study was to conduct a survey of a nationally representative sample of NH physicians to quantify the use and perceived benefits of mobile devices in preventing ADEs in the NH setting.

Design/setting/participants: We surveyed physicians who attended the 2010 American Medical Directors Association Annual Symposium about their use of mobile devices, and beliefs about the effectiveness of drug reference software in preventing ADEs.

Results: The overall net valid response rate was 70% (558/800) with 42% (236/558) using mobile devices to assist with prescribing in the NH. Physicians with 15 or fewer years of clinical experience were 67% more likely to be mobile device users, compared with those with more than 15 years of clinical experience (odds ratio = 1.68; 95% confidence interval = 1.17-2.41; P = .005). For those who used a mobile device to assist with prescribing, almost all (98%) reported performing an average of 1 or more drug look-ups per day, performed an average of 1 to 2 lookups per day for potential drug-drug interactions (DDIs), and most (88%) believed that drug reference software had helped to prevent at least 1 potential ADE in the preceding 4-week period.

Conclusions: The proportion of NH physicians who use mobile devices with drug reference software, although significant, is lower than in other clinical environments. Our results suggest that NH physicians who use mobile devices equipped with drug reference software believe they are helpful for reducing ADEs. Further research is needed to better characterize the facilitators and barriers to adoption of the technology in the NH and its precise impact on NH ADEs.

Keywords: Nursing homes; adverse drug events; drug-drug interactions; handheld computers; m-Health; mobile devices; smartphones.