Telepresence revisited

Read a story today about South Korean children being taught English remotely using robots and telepresence.  This is a twist on the use of telepresence in healthcare with the use of concepts like eICU.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20026714-1.html?tag=cnetRiver

Healthcare Reform

Judy shared a link to this video explaining healthcare reform.

ONC Update Meeting

The 2010 ONC Update meeting today and tomorow is available as a webcast at http://www.tvworldwide.com/events/hhs/101214/

Nursing Informatics Resources

Linda added Insight into Nursing Informatics http://www.licensedpracticalnurse.org/nursing-informatics with URLs to 25 nursing informatics resource to the textbook website at http://dlthede.net/Informatics/Informatics.html

Enjoy!

Understanding a Possible Source of Botnets

Last week a Russian man, accused of responsibility for over a third of distributed spam, was arrested.  I have discussed botnets in an earlier blog.  The information on the arrest provides background on this annoying crime.  The man is responsible for the Mega-D automated botnet. 

The 23-year old Oleg Nikolaenko pleaded not guilty, but was denied bail because he was considered a flight risk. According to the article about the accused at http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/web/12/03/spam.king.arraignment/index.html - the man has been followed for the past three years.  According to the article the spammer earned almost half a million dollars in just six months during 2007.

The botnets spue spam ranging from erectile dysfunction drugs, to herbal remedies, and counterfeit watches. The botnet originator is termed a "bot herder."  Bot herders control targeted computers, known as "zombies," from a remote location. "Honeypots" are used to track the bad guys.  To find out more, you might want to read a How Stuff Works article at http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/how-to-tech/how-to-fix-zombie-computer2.htm

Health Information Technology Articles

The CARING-ANIA listserv member shared some articles that they found helpful.  I am noting them below

Kitzmiller, R., Anderson, R., & McDaniel, R. (2010). Making sense of health information technology implementation: A qualitative study protocol. Implementation Science, 5(1), 95. Retrieved from http://www.implementationscience.com


Clancy, T. R., Delaney, C. W., Segre, A., Carley, K., Kuziak, A., & Yu, H. (2007). Predicting the impact of an electronic health record on practice patterns using computational modeling and simulation. AMIA Annual Symposium Proceedings, 145-149.

Hendrich A., Chow, M. P., Skierczynski, B. A. & Lu, D. (2008). A 36-Hospital Time and Motion Study: How Do Medical-Surgical Nurses Spend Their Time? The Permanente Journal, 12(3). Retrieved from http://xnet.kp.org/permanentejournal/sum08/time-study.html/time-study.pdf

iPad 4.2 Software Features

I downloaded the software update for the iPad yesterday.  Wow! 

It took me a couple of minutes to figure out how to create folders.  Guess it was the Windows preconceived mindset that blocked the progress.  All I had to do was to drag one app over another.  The folder was automatically named by category, such as utilities, business, etc. 

The next feature was to take an advantage of the iPad locator feature.  Since the iPad is so small and black in color, it is easy to "lose" it or for it to be stolen.  The locator feature allows the used to log into http://me.com/ to find the missing iPad.  If the iPad was stolen, the owner can either "lock" or "wipe out" the device.  How cool is that?  Of course the bad guy would have to have the iPad on, but since it is such a cool device, why wouldn't it be turned on?  The security app is available commercially for laptops and desktops.  However, IMHO it should be a standard feature!!  A screenshot of the finder feature is noted below:

Finding the Dollars in What Nurse Do

Linda added the following to the textbook website:

Morris, K. (2010) Nursing Makes Cents: Finding the Dollars in What Nurses Do. An excellent article focusing mainly on the intensity of nursing care which is the one nursing specific item from the Nursing Minimum Data Set that none of the terminologies address. Links to some excellent resources at the end. (Added November 22, 2010)


http://www.ohnurses.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Nursing_Makes_Cents_The_Economic_Value_of_Registered_Nursing&Template=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=5197

NLN Simulation Scenarios

SimMan Cases - Volume I
Nursing Surgical Core Case

• Lower Leg Fracture – Basic Assessment
• Preoperative Bowel Obstruction – Spiritual Needs
• Immediate Postoperative Abdominal Hysterectomy – Managing Nausea
• Postoperative Hemicolectomy – Preventing Respiratory Complications
• Postoperative Hip Arthroplasty – Blood Transfusion

Nursing Surgical Complex Cases

• Lower Leg Fracture – Compartment Syndrome
• Preoperative Bowel Obstruction – Fluid and Electrolyte Imbalance
• Immediate Postoperative Abdominal Hysterectomy – Opioid Intoxication
• Postoperative Hemicolectomy – Pulmonary Embolism
• Postoperative Hip Arthroplasty – Blood Transfusion Reaction

Nursing Medical Core Cases

• Acute Strep Throat – Mild Reaction to Antibiotic
• Mild Asthma
• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease – Oxygen Therapy
• Angina – Coronary Artery Disease
• Diabetic Insulin Administration
• Nursing Medical Complex Cases
• Pneumonia – Severe Reaction to Antibiotic
• Acute Severe Asthma
• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease – Spontaneous Pneumothorax
• Acute Myocardial Infarction
• Diabetic Hypoglycemia

Volume II Nursing Cases

Case 1 - Spinal Cord Injury - Brandon Sharp

• Core Case - Skin Integrity
• Complex Case - Autonomic Dysreflexia

 Case 2 - Cerebral Vascular Accident - Wiliam Edwards

• Core Case - Aspiration
• Complex Case - Ischemic Stroke

 Case 3 - AICD - Liling Sung

• Core Case - AICD Malfunction
• Complex Case - AICD Firing

 Case 4 - Congestive Heart Failure - Charles Jones

• Core Case - Medication Management
• Complex Case - Fluid Overload

 Case 5 - Sickle Cell Anemia - Tony Wallace

• Core Case - Mild Acute Exacerbation
• Complex Case - Fluid Acute Chest Syndrome

Case 6 - Renal Colic - Bobby Davis

• Core Case - Pain Management
• Complex Case - Acute Kidney Injury

 Case 7 - Gastrointestinal Bleeding - Valerie Jones

• Core Case - Assessment and Patient Teaching
• Complex Case - Ethical Considerations

 Case 8 - Pancreatitis - Maria Gonzales

• Core Case - Assessment and Symptom Management
• Complex Case - Hemodynamic and Respiratory Instability

Case 9 - Hip Fracture - Ruth Livingston

• Core Case - Impaired Mobility
• Complex Case - Altered Mental Status

 Case 10 - Liver Cirrhosis - Dale Mayman

• Core Case - Patient/Family Teaching
• Complex Case - End-Stage Disease

High-Fidelity Patient Simulation

Last week, I participated in a 2-day training for the Laerdal high-fidelity human simulator.  Late Saturday afternoon, our workgroup assisted DB to prepare a scenario for one of the med-surg classes.  Besides being able to share accurate information regarding simulation in the textbook, I also wanted to explore the use of simulation in courses that I teach and to develop some scenarios myself.

Clearly, I will have to practice what I teach and PRACTICE my learning :-)!  That is okay.  This weekend I explored the NLN (National League for Nursing) SIRC (Simulation Innovation Resource Center) website.  The GC School of Nursing has purchased Volumes I & II of the NLN materials. I was pleased to note that NLN is also posting resources developed by other faculty members at no charge.  As an example, Cynthia Reese, faculty at Lincoln Land Community College, developed four geriatric scenarios.  The scenario involve an 84-year old widow.  The scenarios, audio files, scripts, and debrief resources can be downloaded from http://www.nln.org/facultydevelopment/facultyresources/ACES/millie.htm

On a separate website, there is a scenario for massive pulmonary embolus and PEA (Pulseless Electrical Activity) at http://www.rhodeislandhospital.org/rih/services/simctr/training/modules/uss-case-1.pdf

Other resources that can be used to design the scenes for simulation training can be obtained from the Pocket Nurse website at http://www.pocketnurse.com/

Ethics and HIT

Last week a task force for AMIA (American Medical Informatics Association) released a report entitled "Challenges in ethics, safety, best practices, and oversight regarding HIT vendors, their customers, and patients: a report of an AMIA special task force."  The report provides clear direction to vendors and system purchasers regarding ethics and HIT. 
 
A quote from the report abstract is below - although I took the liberty to bullet and emphasize statements to make them clear to the reader.  The full 5-page report is available online at http://jamia.bmj.com/site/icons/amiajnl8946.pdf
 
"Task Force findings and recommendations include:

• patient safety should trump all other values; corporate concerns about liability and intellectual property ownership may be valid but should not over-ride all other considerations;
• transparency and a commitment to patient safety should govern vendor contracts;
• institutions are duty-bound to provide ethics education to purchasers and users, and should commit publicly to standards of corporate conduct; and
• vendors, system purchasers, and users should encourage and assist in each others’ efforts to adopt best practices.

Finally, the HIT community should re-examine whether and how regulation of electronic health applications could foster improved care, public health, and patient safety."

iStethoscope

Read an article at http://newslite.tv/2010/08/31/istethoscope-iphone-app-used-i.html that discussed how the iStethoscope is being used at hospitals.  I tried it out (will not trade my stethoscope for the app).  I had to activate the app first - and received the following message:
"Your iphone may interfere with implanted medical equipment such as pacemakers or defibrillators.  By activating the iStethoscope Pro you agee not to use you iphone near paople with such implanted equipment..."

Also read that FDA is going to get involved with approving this type of app.  Bottom line is that either I am technologically impaired or that the app is not ready for prime time.  I will let you make the decision :)

Pay for Performance and Nursing Care

Is nursing getting recognition because of pay for performance?  Some suggest that is the case.  For example, consider the issue associated with Central-line Associated Bloodstream Infection (CLABI).  While it is a "mixed bag" regarding the reason patients with central lines get infections, nursing is an important part of the equation because we manage the lines after insertion.

I read this morning about the Maryland Healthcare Commission posting the CLABI rates, compared with the national average for all of the hospitals in the state (http://mhcc.maryland.gov/consumerinfo/hospitalguide/hospital_guide/reports/find_a_hospital/clabsi_all_hospital_table.asp?icu_id=AdPed).  I was saddened to see that a hospital where I worked for 13 years 5th from the bottom of the list with a CLABI rate twice the national average.  What was even worse, is that the smaller hospital 50 miles up the road in Easton had a rate that was almost 5 times the national average. 

Reflecting on the problem makes me remember taking a healthcare finance course at the University of Maryland when I was shocked to see the differences in outcomes from a financial perspective.  In that particular case it was looking at hospital length of care days and co-morbitity associated with hysterectomy.  I was shocked to see that a hospital on the southern Eastern Shore of Maryland had LOS that was double of where I worked and a higher morbility rate.  That was when "I got it."

It saddens to see healthcare stimulated to make improvements only because of pay for performance.  That said, on the other hand, before benchmarking data, hospitals really did not have the information to assist in making care improvements. Yes, nursing is getting recognition for performance.  A comparison of hospitals is something that nurses should consider when applying for jobs.  A good place to start is to examine the Department of Health and Human Services Hospital Compare web site at http://www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov/

Online Statistics Resources

Information on using online resources to learn and use statistics applications is in Chapter 25, Informatics and Research.  Included are links to free information and applications, such as Brightstat.  If you want to brush up on statistics, take a few moments to explore the links below.

Links:

• Statsoft e-book- http://www.statsoft.com/textbook/
• Online Statistics:  An Interactive Multimedia Course - http://onlinestatbook.com/
• Rice Virtual Lab in Statistics - http://onlinestatbook.com/rvls.html
• Research Methods Knowledge Database - http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/
• Brightstat free statistical analysis software - http://www.brightstat.com/
• Brightstat video tutorials on YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/user/brightstat

Data Analysis and Extraction Tool - DataFerrett

Chapter 25, Informatics and Research, in the textbook has information on an application called Data Ferrett(Federated Electronic Research, Review, Extration, and Tabulation Tool).  The application is available for the PC and Mac.  The  user first downloads the applet tool from the internet.  Once it is installed it can be used to recode data, analyze public microdata (individual responses), and create customized spreadsheets. 
DataFerrett is used to locate and retrieve the data from the web.  The application is still in beta form and can be downloaded from http://dataferrett.census.gov/

The website includes tutorials and videos.  A step-by-step tutorial is available at http://www.thedataweb.org/dataferret_tour/start_tour00.htm

To view the video that has an explanation re the use of the application, go to http://dataferrett.census.gov/DataFerrett_video.mov  The screenshot below shows the applet menu.

Merging Two Documents Using Word

Some days it doesn't take much to make me happy and today (a drizzly, rainy day) is one of those days! I received a document that was revised without using the Review menu in Word, but I needed to be able to make the changes visible.  Not a problem!! :) I checked the Help feature in Word only to find that the menu was right under my nose on the Review menu - the Compare function.

The first step I took was to open the original file and click Track Changes in the Tracking menu.  Next, I clicked on Compare in the menu.  A window popped up asking me to select the two files that I wanted to compare.  I selected the original document with Track Changes activated and the revised document. The next step prompted me to select which document to use to combine the changes.  I selected the original document.  A final click and the process was complete!  Amazing and so simple!!

A screenshot of the final "Combine" window is displayed below.



Clicker Resources

I discovered a site entitled "Clicker Resource Guide" this morning.  It is instructional in the sense that it provides a pedagogical guide for the use of clickers and the design of the questions.  The module has several pages - look for the double arrows at the top of each module page or use the table of contents menu on the left side of the window to navigate.  The site is at http://cnx.org/content/m26445/latest/

I took some time to review clicker resources that can be used with smartphone, laptops, and tablets.  The iPhone app store has an app named "e-clicker."  The app for students is free.  The app for the instructor is $9.99.  I don't have an occassion to try it out, yet.  I might try to trial it next semester when I teach legal and ethical issues in nursing. 

Additions to the Textbook Website

Am noting some additions that Linda made to the textbook website at http://dlthede.net/Informatics/Informatics.html

October 30, 2010 Tutorial from the NLM for evaluation Web information on the Internet. This may be something that you want to share with clients/patients. (Chapter 11)
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/webeval/webeval.html

October 30, 2010 Clinical Information System Questionnaire (CISQ). This questionairre evaluates the implementation of a clinical information system. (Chapter 19)
http://cisevaluation.com/CISIES_Administrations.html

October 27, 2010 Mobile Cart Evaluation
Cornell University

Free Education Tools

Chelsey, a student in one of my classes discovered a site where she created a rubric to analyze patient education websites, rCampus at http://www.rcampus.com/

When reading "about us" the site notes that the tools are free and that the resources are available because of support of the sponsors (it is a .com website).  Use of the site requires a login and password.  The site includes free tools for classes, eportfolios, and rubrics.  I am very interested in hearing from others who have used the site. 

Chapter 9 Learning Exercises Corrections

The textbook print errors in the learning exercises for chapter 9 (page 158) stumped more students recently.  A faculty member at North Georgia College & State University reported the problem to the textbook rep, Tanya.  Of course, the problem is universal.  I didn't catch the errors in the final manuscript review :(

I wrote an email to the faculty member and copied it to the textbook rep.  I created the corrections for questions 1, 3, and 5 in Excel.  The link to download the spreadsheet is at http://hercules.gcsu.edu/jsewell/textbook/Chapt9Corrections.xls

Click the tabs on the bottom of the spreadsheet to view each of the three exercises. To view the formulas in the Excel spreadsheet, tap the the Ctrl+~ keys. 

The 4th edition of the textbook will include downloadable files used in the textbook for all of the office applications. I will make sure to check the formulas in the final manuscript review!

Most Students Still Prefer Print Books over e-Books

Martha shared an article that was in yesterday's Chronicle about the preferences students' preferences for books.  The article indicated that 76% of students still preferred traditional print books over e-books.  According to the report, the preference percentage was unchanged from the previous year. It also indicated that only 8% of students owned an e-reader device. The study was conducted with 627 students by the National Association of College Stores.

 I don't find those statistics surprising.  First of all, if only 8% of the students owned an e-reader, I am surprised that 24% preferred e-books!  Second, making a traditional print book a PDF file is not particularly enticing.  e-books should become more popular when they are interactive with embedded URLs, self-tests, videos, and the ability to have collaborative learning communities.

I used three ebooks this past spring semester.  This is a bit of a learning curve for their use.  With my Windows PC - I had to have Adobe Writer to be able to highlight sections in the books.  In other words, the procedures for using a book changed.

The study above is available online at http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/students-remain-reluctant-to-try-e-textbooks-survey-finds/27866?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+chronicle%2Fwiredcampus+%28The+Chronicle%3A+Wired+Campus%29

Now that I have an iPad, I am gravitating more and more to e-books.  I have several on the iPad now.  I need to move the e-books I used during spring semester over to the iPad, and like any change - practice using them!  Are you using e-books yet?  Why or why not?

EMR and Patient Satisfaction

There was a question on the ANIA-CARING listserv about publications on the EMR and patient satisfaction.  I have compiled a listing of the articles that were shared by the listserv membership below. 

California Healthcare Foundation (2010). Consumers and health Information technology: A national survey. http://www.chcf.org/publications/2010/04/consumers-and-health-information-technology-a-national-survey

Consumers want technology to help keep them healthy, survey shows. http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/consumers-want-technology-help-keep-them-healthy-survey-shows?page=0,0

Freeman, M. C., Taylor, A. P., & Adelman, J. U. (2009). Electronic medical record system in a headache specialty practice: a patient satisfaction survey. Headache, 49(2), 212-215. doi: HED1009 [pii]10.1111/j.1526-4610.2007.01009.x. http://cisevaluation.com/CISIES_Administrations.html

Gadd, C. S., & Penrod, L. E. (2000). Dichotomy between physicians' and patients' attitudes regarding EMR use during outpatient encounters. Proceedings in AMIA Symposium, 275-279. doi: D200771 [pii]

Schneider S, Kerwin J, Robins C, & Dean D. (2009, July). Consumer engagement in developing electronic health information systems: Final report. (Prepared by Westat, Rockville, Maryland, under Contract No. 233-02-0087). AHRQ Publication Number 09-0081-EF. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. http://healthit.ahrq.gov/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_0_9442_909189_0_0_18/09-0081-EF.pdf

Stephan, S. (2010). Evaluation of clinical metrics. JHIM (published this fall - volume/issue not yet available)

Stewart, R. F., Buchanan, H. S., Bailey, B., Schuyler, M., & Kroth, P. J. (2005). Effect of electronic charting on the patient-psychiatrist relationship. AMIA Annual Symposium Proceedings, 1122. doi: 57439 [pii]

Walker, J., Ahern, D. K., Le, L. X., & Delbanco, T. (2009). Insights for internists: "I want the computer to know who I am". Journal of General Internal Medicine, 24(6), 727-732. doi: 10.1007/s11606-009-0973-1

Winkelman, W., Leonard, K. & Rossos, P. (2005). Patient-perceived usefulness of online electronic medical records: Employing grounded theory in the development of information and communication technologies for use by patients living with chronic illness. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association,12(3): 306-314. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1090462/pdf/306.pdf

Tracking the Quality of Care Provided Using Data on Race, Ethnicity, and Language Preferences

Tracy shared an article, "What’s Quality Without Equality? Using Data on Patient Race, Ethnicity and Language Preferences to Improve Care,"  a Robert Woods Johnson study.

A quote from the article is noted below.
"It is a fact of health care in the United States that patients of specific racial and ethnic groups consistently receive worse health care than white patients, regardless of where they live, their level of income or their health insurance coverage. As a result, with few exceptions, racial and ethnic minorities experience higher rates of illness and death than non-minorities. Additionally, doctors and hospitals are often unaware that these disparities exist. Many believe that if they strive to give equal care to everyone, they succeed."  The study tracked the care provided by patient race, ethnicity, and language preferences.  It is interesting that the study did not use gender.  Anyway, the results of the survey allows healthcare providers to intervene to address any inequalities of care.

http://links.mkt2511.com/servlet/MailView?ms=MzM4MDQzNgS2&r=MTQyNTYxNjc2NDAS1&j=MjAyNjczMjM1S0&mt=1&rt=0

Monitor Patients Remotely Using a Sprint 4G Mobile Phone

Martha shared an interesting app created by Airstrip Technologies (http://www.airstriptech.com/) which allows the user to view remote patient vital signs including telemetry or fetal monitoring using a Spring 4G phone.  The app is FDA approved and HIPAA compliant.  The link to the article describing the app is at
http://jkontherun.com/2010/10/20/patient-care-via-sprint-4g-smartphone/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+jkOnTheRun+%28jkOnTheRun%29

Computer Literacy and Fluency in Information Technology: What’s the Difference?

The ability to use computers to retrieve and create information is empowering to most of us. It is an essential skill for those of us in healthcare. We discuss the concepts of computer literacy and fluency in the textbook. The term fluency was first used in the book, Being Fluent with Information Technology (1999), published by the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board, National Academies Press. The authors suggest that fluency has a deeper meaning and is associated with lifelong learning and three types of knowledge:

• Contemporary skills. The ability to apply and use computer applications immediately.  The essential skills necessary to compete in today’s job market.
• Foundational concepts. Basic knowledge about computer systems and networks that we discuss in the first section of the 3rd edition of Informatics and Nursing: Competencies and Applications.
• Intellectual abilities. The ability to apply, manipulate, knowledge about information technology so that we can navigate unexpected problems.

If there is agreement that information literacy is the beginning point, then the journey to develop new information technology knowledge and skills over a lifetime is the pursuit of fluency with information technology.

National Research Council (U.S.) Committee on Information Technology Literacy. (1999). Being fluent with information technology. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

Linda added this resource to the textbook website at http://dlthede.net/Informatics/Informatics.html.  Our thanks to Ramona for sharing. 

Screencasting

I missed a workshop on Screencasting yesterday due to an exam scheduling issue.  Screencasting allows the user to create video from a computer screen, including a mobile phone, such as the iPhone. 

The good news is that the workshop presenter, Frank Lowney, shared a podcast video of the session.  Clearly, I have been missing some really cool screencasting tools.  The link to the video is at http://hercules.gcsu.edu/~flowney/screencasts/Intro_To_Screencasting/

The link to all of the resources on the topic is on Frank's web site at http://hercules.gcsu.edu/~flowney/screencasting/

I have been working on developing new video podcasting skills again this fall.  If you have any interest in creating videos from a computer screen, take a moment to explore the screencasting goldmine.

MERLOT and SoftChalk

Georgia College has a site license for SoftChalk - software that make is easy to create professional looking online lessons.  I learned how to use it beginning in August and used it to design all of my fall courses.  I knew from MERLOT meetings, that MERLOT had a partnership with SoftChalk.  As an example, you can search media resources from within SoftChalk and embed it in the lessons.  Examples include Flickr, MERLOT, YouTube, etc.

I participated in a fast paced Webinar taught by Sue Evans from SoftChalk last week.  What I learned is how to create a lesson using SoftChalk, contribute it to Connect (a database of shared learning resources), and then add the link to the lesson to MERLOT.

If your agency does not have a license for SoftChalk, you can try it out for 30-days.  (And no, I have no financial interest in the software company :).

Meaningful Use

Joyce Sensmeier, HIMSS Vice President for Informatics, testified before the congressional hearing on Standards for Health IT on September 30.  You can read the full text of her testimony at http://www.himss.org/content/files/SensmeierTestimony.pdf

The 13-page document provides a historical perspective and a current update for the EHR and meaningful use.  It is well worth your time to read. 

Firefox Readability App

Stephanie discovered a Readability app for Firefox.  At first, I mistakenly thought that it provided readability statistics, but I was wrong!  What it does is to remove distracting information (clutter) from around the article that you are reading.  For more information go to the Readability website and review the video at http://lab.arc90.com/experiments/readability/
 
Once the add-in is installed there will be a blue R at the bottom right corner of the Firefox web browser. Use the link above to drag the Readability "badge" into your Firefox book marks.  When you want to "clean" up the clutter on a busy page, click on Readability on your bookmarks. 

Enjoy!

Institute of Medicine (IOM) Report - Future of Nursing

The IOM released its report on the Future of Nursing yesterday. The report supports information in the Carnegie Foundation report - Educating Nurses. The IOM report is a free download. Although the report is over 500 pages - you can read the 13 page synopsis at the beginning to get an overview.  You can view the public briefing of the report at http://www.visualwebcaster.com/event.asp?id=72689

The recommendations are:

1. Remove scope-of-practice barriers
2. Expand opportunities for nurses to lead and diffuse collaborative improvement efforts
3. Implement nurse residency programs
4. Increase the proportion of nurses with baccalaureate degree to 80% by 2020
5. Double the number of nurses with a doctorate by 2020 
6. Ensure that nurses engage in lifelong learning 
7. Prepare and enable nurses to lead change to advance health 
8. Build an infrastructure for the collection and analysis of interprofessional health care workforce data

http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2010/The-Future-of-Nursing-Leading-Change-Advancing-Health.aspx?utm_medium=etmail&utm_source=Institute%20of%20Medicine&utm_campaign=10.05.10+Report+-+The+Future+of+Nursing&utm_content=New%20Reports&utm_term=Academic

Future of Nursing

The The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health book was released today.  It is available as a free download from http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2010/The-Future-of-Nursing-Leading-Change-Advancing-Health.aspx

Consider reviewing the IOM webinar discussing the findings described in the book. It was recorded this morning and will be available to view later. 

Healthcare.gov on Facebook

Healthcare.gov sponsored by the Department of Health and Human Services is now on Facebook.  The resource supports and assists the healthcare consumer to stay informed about the Affordable Healthcare Act.

A quote from the announcement is below.
"HealthCare.gov on Facebook allows people to:
Search for insurance coverage using our “Insurance Finder” tool. The tool asks users to fill out two fields with basic information about themselves and the state they live in. Users are then redirected to a page on HealthCare.gov that continues with the insurance finder process based on the information provided.

Share thoughts and ideas with other members of the HealthCare.gov network.

Learn more about what the Affordable Care Act means for individuals, families, or small businesses.

Stay informed with new blog posts and webchats.


To join HealthCare.gov on Facebook visit http://www.facebook.com/Healthcare.gov, and click the “Like” button at the top of the page."

Dropbox Update

I just read an article on CNET that notes that Dropbox, cloud computing file storage is now available for the Blackberry (http://download.cnet.com/8301-2007_4-20017270-12.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=iPadAtlas).  I first learned about Dropbox from Martha - then afterwards realized that so many other colleagues  have been using it.  I am sure that I have mentioned the app previously, because it is amazing that first 2 GB of storage are free.

Dropbox has a social media feature which provides the ability to share files with others.  As examples, I have a shared folder with my husband - anything that we want to share with each other are in that folder.  I have another shared folder with the Walden University student that I am mentoring.  She is applying learning about data analysis using Excel and Access. 

The most amazing feature about Dropbox is that it is available on my iPhone, iPad, Mac, and PC computers.  That is not true for iWorks ($99) or Office Live Skydrive (25 GB free strorage with purchase of Office 2007 & 2010).

Georgia Nurses Association (GNA) Informatics Chapter

Last evening, I had the opportunity to attend the first meeting of the GNA Informatics chapter at a reception held by Roy Simpson at his beautiful home in Atlanta.  I met many new colleagues from Atlanta, Athens, Woodstock, Snellville, and more.  I also had the opportunity to see recent GCSU informatics grads - Omega and Micheline and visit with some of their mentors, Regina and Beth. 

Roy conducted a great organizational meeting.  We formulated committees and decided to meet every other month - using webinar software (on a rotating basis, donated by one of our organizations).

Please spread the word about this chapter in Georgia.  For more information, go to the GNA website at http://www.georgianurses.org/.

eMail Merge

eMail merge is an amazing productive feature that I first discovered using Office 2007, but I cannot replicate the procedure on the Mac.  A colleague, who is a Mac user, asked about how she could send out 50+ emails efficiently.  Unfortunately, I could not find the feature on the Mac in either Office 2008 or Pages :(

eMail merge is available in Office 2010 and 2007.  It is easiest to first create a file (it can be a Excel spreadsheet, Word table, or Access table) with column headers with data that is appropriate for the email. For example, FirstName, LastName, email, Event, Date.  Although you can save that file in a place of your choice, I recommend that you save the file in the folder, My Data Sources.

Switch to Microsoft Word.  Write the email.  Note, you can use digital stationary to format your email professionally.  Do the following:

• Select the data source
• Select the recipients from the data source (all are selected by default)
• Write the email including any merge fields that are needed
• Preview the email results
• Click on Finish and Merge and select > Send email messages

Each recipient will receive the personalized copy of the email.  This process can be used with any standard email that you send to more than one person, for example, it can be used to send flyers to several hundred others. It is a powerful, efficient way to communicate information with others.

iTunes and Podcasts

One thing I understand about teaching is that the teacher is always a learner.  I am facilitating a Faculty Development Workshop while also participating as a learner.  Last week we introduced podcasting as a multimedia teaching/learning activity.  I am very much a novice when it comes to podcasting, so I worked at applying new learning presented by Drs. White and Isaac!

I spent several hours last weekend learning how to use Keynote (PowerPoint equivalent on the Mac OS) and GarageBand.  I STILL don't know if I was most efficient in the process.  Fortunately, there are multiple tutorials for both apps.  I watched all of the Keynote video tutorials and some of them several times.  Next, I listened to the Garageband tutorial on creating podcasts.

Using the old fashioned trial and error approach, I created my first podcasting video with Mac apps. Afterwards, I uploaded the podcast to the Georgia College podcasting server.  Finally, I opened iTunes and subscribed to the podcast.

If you don't have iTunes on your computer, consider downloading it.  There are hundreds of video and audio podcasts available. Many educational podcasts are free and available through iTunes University.

If you have a moment, consider subscribing to one or more podcasts of your interest.  To subscribe, click on Advanced in the iTunes menu > Subscribe to podcast.  Enter the channel address of the podcast.

You are welcome to experiment with the podcast I created about how to edit citations in Zotero (personal bibliographic manager)  that were imported using the Proquest library database. The channel address is:
itpc://podcasting.gcsu.edu/4dcgi/podcasting/gcsu/channels21876/28928.xml

iPad apps for school

TCGeeks has listed 10 iPad apps for school.  Several caught my attention (didn't see any that were free, though).  http://www.tcgeeks.com/10-ipad-apps-you-dont-want-to-go-to-school-without/

• iStudiez Pro is a calendar for school that allows you to keep up with assignments and multiple classes.  This would be a great app for students and teachers. The cost is $2.99.
• Auditorium Notes is another great app!  It allows you to type and record notes.  It costs $5.99, but it might be worth it. 

Business Continuity Planning (Disaster Recovery)

I used a LiveBinder to collate information about Business Continuity Planning.  The electronic binder is online at http://livebinders.com/play/present?id=27395

The term, business continuity plan, is the term used for disaster recovery. It has significance in healthcare because or the incentives to have an electronic health record for most Americans by 2014. If health information is stored electronically, what are the ramifications of a disaster, such as a tornado, fire, or other destroying an IT location?

Facebook Scam

There is a new Facebook scam that entices users to sign up and test an iPad or iPhone 4.  Read more about it at http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-31747_7-20015102-243.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=iPadAtlas

I  have already received an email with the scam from a friend in Facebook.  FYI so that you can avoid and educate others.

iPad apps

TCGeeks is a web site with information for tablet computers.  Last week they posted a web page - 175 Free Games for Your iPad.  Games are a great way to take a short "mental vacation" when working on a work project. Take a look at the site at http://www.tcgeeks.com/175-free-games-for-your-ipad/

LiveBinders

I stumbled across an interesting free website today - LiveBinders.  It allows users to create electronic notebooks, keep them private, or share them with others.  The notebooks can be made up of a combination of PDF files, videos, images, and websites.  The site is definitely worth exploring at http://livebinders.com/

It is an interesting concept that could be used to for patient education, and school projects.  There are a number of shared examples for education on the LiveBinder website.

Gmail Phone Service

I read yesterday where gmail was offering phone service (VoIP - voice over the Internet protocol), but I could not locate the phone in my gmail account.  Just over night, all of that changed!  When I opened my gmail account this morning, a flash page popped up http://www.google.com/chat/voice/

It should be like having Skype services integrated with gmail.  Enjoy!

Free eBooks until the End of August

Kaplan is offering free ebooks until the end of August. An example is the Kaplan RN Review manual. You have to download them to a mobile device (iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch) using iTunes. Read more at http://www.tuaw.com/2010/08/25/a-barrel-of-free-books-from-kaplan-makes-a-great-back-to-school/

Insulin Dosing App

There is an insulin dosing app in iTunes at http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/novodose/id384482419?mt=8
According to the website it is "a mobile insulin analog dosing guide application for the iPhone and iPod Touch. NovoDose™ gives health care professionals instant access to dosing information for Novo Nordisk’s portfolio of insulin analogs. Simply select Levemir®."  The app is free.

I am looking forward to exploring it further.  I can see the value in additional similar apps for healthcare.

Transferring iTunes FIles

I wanted to sync my iPad with my Mac laptop, since both are strictly for work (I had been syncing it with the home PC).  I wanted to continue to synch my iPhone with my home office computer, since they are strictly for personal use. It turned out to be much easier than I anticipated. Note 12/3/2011- the option to create a DVD backup is no longer available on the most recent versions of iTunes (10.3 and later).

I made a backup of the iTunes library on the desktop computer.  iTunes required me to backup to a DVD (actually, it required 2 DVDs).  I opened iTunes on the Mac laptop and inserted the DVDs in the order requested by iTunes. Amazing!  My entire library appeared.

When I synced my iPad, I was warned that I could sync it to only one iTunes account at a time. iTunes asked for permission to sync with the laptop.  Since the files were identical on both devices, I said yes.  iTunes then made a backup of the iPad files, deleted and reinstalled all of the apps on the iPad.

The only problem that I had was an annoying one where the exchange email account causes my iPad to crash.  I correct the problem by deleting and then adding back the exchange account.

Lesson learned - is that iTunes created the backup from the home office computer and installed the backup on the work laptop almost invisibly. From now on, I will worry less about moving iTunes files to a new computer.

Flash Cookies

Do you know about those hidden Flash cookies that may reside invisibly on your computer?  Linda added information on how to delete those files on the textbook web site for Chapter 5 at http://dlthede.net/Informatics/Chap05ComputerNetworking/Cookies.html 

Firewalls

One of the students in my health science informatics course said that she still did not understand the concept of "firewalls." I referred her to one of my favorite websites, How Stuff Works at http://www.howstuffworks.com/firewall.htm .

Nurses hear and experience the effects of firewalls, although they may not grasp the rationale for use.  As an example, often our students will be blocked from accessing the Blackboard online learning content from their hospital computers - because of the firewall. 

If you keep your Windows operating system updated, you will receive an alert if Windows notes that your firewall on your personal computer is turned off - and provide a quick link to activate it.  If you have a suite of security software (antivirus) on your computer, a safe configuration will include keeping the firewall turned on. 

My personal visualization of a firewall is analogous to the valve in a vein.  Firewalls prevent unwanted access from the Internet from accessing my computer.  I can access the Internet, but unwanted Internet access is blocked.  That block prevents computer viruses and malware from harming my computer. 

Office for the Mac

Microsoft will be releasing a new version of Office for the Mac later this year according to an article in MacWorld.  Not surprisingly, the article noted that Microsoft is reacting to issues posed by the popularity of Apple and other mobile devices that do not run a Windows environment.  The introduction of free office apps by Google and others has also hurt Microsoft's sales.  

http://www.macworld.com/article/142266/2009/08/office_2010_outlook.html 

The competition is a good thing.  That said, the Microsoft Office product is hard to beat, but it was priced too high for many customers.  

As an example, I attempted to use the Apple spreadsheet equivalent of Excel - which is Numbers and gave up immediately.  I will have to experiment with the other iWorks apps to make better comparisons.  I am looking forward to the new Office for the Mac, though.  In my opinion, Office 2008 for the Mac is not as robust as Office 2007 for Windows.  

Mobile Computing Assessment Tool

Linda added a link to a tool to assess a mobile computing tool.
http://dlthede.net/Informatics/Chap13MobileComputing/MobileComputingTool.html

App That Closes Droid Phone programs

Tracy shared this:
http://www.droidapps.org/advanced-task-killer-free-kill-an-app-save-a-phone/


She said "I love this app. Closes down any apps you may have forgotten to close &
saves on your battery life. This is the link for the droid version. Check to see if there is an iphone version."

PS - Am still catching up on the wonderful tips shared by my "personal RSS readers."  Thanks, Tracy!

iPhone and iPad "Best" Apps

Martha shared the link below with a listing of iPhone apps.  Many of them also work with the iPad

http://lifehacker.com/5607809/lifehacker-pack-for-iphone-our-list-of-the-best-iphone-apps?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+lifehacker%2Ffull+%28Lifehacker%29

Copyright Info

Tracy sent this link on copyright developed by the University of Minnesota libaries.  The flow chart may be helpful to many.  The "rules" for copyright are difficult for many of us to understand, so reviewing several resources on the same topic are often helpful. The information is a good supplement for Chapter 26 in the 3rd edition of the textbook.

http://www.lib.umn.edu/copyright/

Georgia College has information on copyright with additional resources at http://www.gcsu.edu/library/reference/guides/copyright.htm

Movie Software Tutorials - iMovie, Windows Live Movie Maker, Movie Maker

This fall, our university is offering a Faculty Development Workshop (FDW) that explores pedagogical principles for the use of technology with teaching/learning process.  Participant will be using an iPad or MacBook Pro.  As one of several workshop facilitators, I am exploring software solutions.  I discovered a blog with an iMovie tutorial this morning.  It is a simple 4-page guide designed by Storychases.tv at http://www.scribd.com/doc/35390885/Quickstart-Guide-to-iMovie-09

The design of an effective movie is challenging for many of us.  Since the principles for creating a movie are universal, the site is worth exploring.  Microsoft provides Windows Live Movie Maker as a free download at http://explore.live.com/windows-live-movie-maker (Only for Windows 7 and Vista OSs).

There is a version of Movie Maker for the XP OS also.  The following link is a tutorial for that version  http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/moviemaker/default.mspx

Preventing Medical Mistakes - Using an Online Database for Public Reporting

Tracy sent me this interesting article about an online database that allows consumers to lookup hospital performance in regards to medical mistakes.  It is tragic that we (healthcare providers) don't do a better job before being publically reviewed or criticized by the public and outside agencies such as CMS and Joint Commission.

New database lets consumers track medical mistakes by hospital  The state Department of Health announced its new online database Thursday, which allows consumers to look up medical mistakes by
hospital and date.

* Read the full article at:

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/424609_adverse.html

TIGER Competency Wiki

Linda added this new resource to the textbook website at http://dlthede.net/Informatics/Informatics.html

August 6, 2010 Technology Informatics Guiding Educational Reform's (TIGER) Competency Wiki. This site has a pdf report and a spreadsheet of all the competencies. (Chapter 1)


http://tigercompetencies.pbworks.com/

YouTube - Did You Know 4.0

Interesting video - Did You Know 4.0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ILQrUrEWe8

Of course it is a year out of date already. 

Group Work Facilitation Site

While in California last week, I attended an outstanding session about a we resource to facilitate effective groupwork.  The site is called Learn Higher at http://www.learnhighergroupwork.com/

It was developed by the Centre for Excellence and Teaching and Learning at Liverpool Hope University, U.K. 

There are a series of 10 videos that learners.  Each video is accompanied by a series of reflection questions to consider when viewing the video.  Use of the learning is not discipline specific.  The site is certainly worth exploring if teaching or understanding group work.

Word Tips

I was reading the latest edition of PCWorld and ran across a couple of very useful tips.  Both are available under the View tab in Word.

• One tip is to use the "thumbnail" view to quickly navigate long documents. The thumbnails appear in an identical way as they do in Acrobat Reader.
• Another tip is to to "map document" to see an outline of the page headings as you work on the document.

Both views are very helpful when working on longer documents, such as a book chapter or journal article.

Interactive PowerPoint

I stumbled across a free PowerPoint add-on that allows for interaction using multiple mice (wireless and wired).  Think of it as using a personal response system, only the device is a mouse.  While the app is designed for children, there is absolutely no reason that it could not be used for higher education.  The app is called Mouse Mischief and available at http://microsoft.com/multipoint/mouse-mischief 

There are video overviews and many templates that can be downloaded and used in the classroom setting. While I do not have time to create slides for fall semester, I can easily envision using the app with students in the NCLEX prep course.

To experience the app, I connected a wired mouse to my computer which already used a wireless mouse.  I indicated that I was using multiple mice.  It is simply an amazing program!

Bookmarking

I read something the other day about bookmarking.  The article asked us, the readers, if we were using web browsers to bookmark favorite sites.  According to the article, if we were, it was "SO 2008!"  Okay, I got it!!  I was guilty of being "so 2008."  The guilt jolted me to make a change.  The first problem was choosing a web 2.0 bookmarking site.  There are so many from which to choose.  I finally decided to use Delicious.

If you use more than one computer to access the Internet, you should consider using a social networking site for bookmarking.  The added value include that you can see what others found to be useful and that you have the bookmarked sites available from any computer.  To access your bookmarked sites, simply log-in to the bookmark web site.

Augmented Reality Update

I just printed the footprint for Sasquatch (see my earlier post).  It was truly unbelievable and just too funny!  Omega, you will have to show Gabby!  The 3D gorilla just pops up!!  You can drag emotions to the timeline and create a movie. Now, if only someone will create something similar for healthcare and the nursing setting. 

Meaningful Use and HITECH

Linda has added two new links to articles on meaningful use and HITECH to the textbook web site at http://dlthede.net/Informatics/Informatics.html

July 27, 2010 Blumenthal, D., & Tavenner, M. (2010). The "Meaningful Use" Regulation for Electronic Health Records. New England Journal of Medicine. Good overview of meaningful use objectives and much other information. (Chapter 21)

http://healthcarereform.nejm.org/?p=3732

July 27, 2010 Blumenthal, D. (2009). Launching HITECH. New England Journal of Medicine, 362(5), 382-385. Good overview of regulations and programs created by the HITECH act part of the ARRA. (Chapter 21)

http://healthcarereform.nejm.org/?p=2669

iPad and Healthcare

Jim forwarded this link regarding the use of iPads and healthcare- "10 Ways Apple's iPad is Changing Healthcare"
http://current.com/1p7s84c 
I am reading more articles everyday about the use of iPads and smartphones in healthcare. 

Healthcare Delivery Systems Comparison

Linda sent me the article, Universal Health Care Matters, But So Does Quality available at
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health/universal-health-care-matters-but-so-does-quality/article1640393/

While the article focuses on the healthcare delivery system in Canada, it clearly depicts the problems with the broken system that is pricey here in the United States.  The only thing that we agree upon is disagreement.

Intel Museum

I had an interesting time taking public transportation to the Intel Museum last Friday.  I learned that Intel is a short name form Integrated Electronics.  The company was started by Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore.  Moore is known for Moore's Law (1965).   Moore's Law addresses the number of transistors that can be placed on integrated ciruits.

It took about an hour travel time each way because I had to switch buses.  The museum is small, but really well done.  It is located in the Intel building in Santa Clara.  The visit was timely now that current news indicates a departure from the use of Intel chips by several computer manufacturers.  It is clear that Microsoft and Intel are losing the market share that they have held for so many years.  Google and Apple are changing the playing field. 

Anyway, I was able to send a post card from the museum :) 

Telepsychiatry

Linda shared slides from a presentation, Effectiveness of Telepsychiatry as a Treatment Modality" by Lisa Jenkins.  The slides provide enough detail that they can be used as a stand alone learning resource.  The learning resource includes a definition of telepsychiatry, the results of a research study with 61 telepsychiatry participants, along with an extensive reference list. You can view the slides at http://hercules.gcsu.edu/jsewell/textbook/Telepsychiatry5-6-Jensen.pdf

Knowledge Discovery in Databases

Three new resources have been added to the textbook Informatics and Nursing web site at http://dlthede.net/Informatics/Informatics.html :

July 25, 2010 Fayyad, U., Piatetsky-Shapiro, G., & Smyth, P. (1996). From Data Mining to Knowledge Discovery in Databases. AI Magazine -American Association for Artificial Intelligence, Fall, 37-54. Although old, some very basic information and real world information. It provides a historical perspective given the development of KDD (knowledge discovery in databases) today. (Chapter 10). Retrieved from
http://www.kdnuggets.com/gpspubs/aimag-kdd-overview-1996-Fayyad.pdf

July 25, 2010 Health Data Stewardship: What, Why, Who, How: An NCVHS Primer (2009). Contains an excellent table of resources for more information about the topic.
"Health data stewardship is a responsibility, guided by principles and practices, to ensure the knowledgeable and appropriate use of data derived from individuals’ personal health information. These uses include (but are not limited to) data collection, viewing, storage, exchange, aggregation, and analysis." (p. 1)
(Chapter 10).  Retrieved from http://www.ncvhs.hhs.gov/090930lt.pdf

July 25, 2010 NATIONAL COMMITTEE ON VITAL AND HEALTH STATISTICS (2007). Enhanced Protections for Uses of Health Data: A Stewardship Framework for “Secondary Uses” of Electronically Collected and Transmitted Health Data.
The recommendations that are made in this report were guided by the goal of enabling improvements in health and health care, while balancing other needs including the need to: maintain or strengthen individual’s health information privacy while enabling improvements in health and health care, facilitate uses of electronic health information, increase the clarity and uniform understanding of laws and regulations pertaining to privacy and security of health information, build upon existing legislation and regulations whenever possible, and not result in undue administrative burden. (Chapter 10). Available from
http://www.ncvhs.hhs.gov/071221lt.pdf

Augmented Reality

One of the many intersting sessions that I attended at the Sloan-C, MERLOT, Moodle conference last week was on augmented reality.  Augmented reality is defined as a blend of real life with digital images.

The concept has fascinating implications for the teaching/learning process. Imagine holding a piece of paper with a block like stamp (similar in function to a bar code) on it in front of a computer camera and watching images come to life, allowing you to interact with the images. You probably have encounted the concept, perhaps, not realizing it. If you watch television, you probably have viewed some commercial ads with augmented reality.
One of my favorite web sites is How Stuff Works.  You can learn more about augmented reality at http://www.howstuffworks.com/augmented-reality.htm   There are augmented reality apps for the iPhone (and probably iPad) at http://mashable.com/2009/12/05/augmented-reality-iphone/

Esquire magazine printed an augmented reality issue.  You can view more information from the YouTube site at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wp2z36kKn0s&feature=related

A recent advertisement for Audi cars is a iPhone app calendar.  To view the video, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhPl9NLO4bk

Visit http://livingsasquatch.com/ to print an augmented reality stamp and personalize it.  I plan to experiment with the site this week.

iPad update

One last update for the iPad. Robbie told me about the iPad news daily. It has tips and links to iPad resources. I was amazed that I could work with only my iPhone and iPad for 10 days! I did run through the 30 day cellular data plan in only 8 days, but it was much less expensive than paying for a wireless connection every night at the hotel. I should not need cellular service very much now that I am home with wifi coverage.

Linda sent me several emails with updates for the textbook. I have several from the Emerging Technologies conference, myself.

iPad apps

This is my last post from Silicon Valley. The guide book for San Jose includes references to Yelp, an iPad app for locating restaurants, etc. I downloaded it yesterday and will experiment with it today.

I also downloaded camera and watched as Robbie demonstrated its use. You need to download camera to both the iPhone and iPad. If you have the apps open on both devices, you can take a photo with the iPhone and it will automatically show up on the iPad and be filed in the photo folder on the iPad.

Will visit the Intel museum this afternoon, hopefully. The Computer History museum is closed for renovation, but fortunately, the web site has great information.

iPad Learning

Robbie from UT BOR taught me a couple of useful tricks for the iPad today. One was how to take a screenshot and the other was how to create a shortcut. Both work on the iPhone and the iPad.

To take a screenshot, hold the on/off button at the same time as the start button momentarily, just until you hear a click. The screenshot will be in your photos folder.

To create a shortcut, navigate to the web site. Click on the plus sign. Click "add to my homepage."

IPad Review - the good and needs improvement

Have been traveling with the iPad for the last 5 days and the experience has been interesting. I attempted to turn on the cellular service at the Atlanta airport several times unsuccessfully. It worked like a charm in San Francisco.

2nd bump in the road... Attempted to use Google maps for GPS guide but it drained the battery quickly and did not work as well as the iPhone.

3rd bump in the road... Just like the iPhone, the iPad decided that it did not like the exchange server email. Evereything was working okay until I turned it off and on again. The iPad kept turning itself back to the screen saver. I finally had to delete the account and add it back.

Now for the pluses!! I went to the Apple store in SF and it was fun just watching the people. I did not see Steve Jobs there :). I decided on purchasing leather cover. It is a bit heavy....feels more like a book now, but provides excellent protection to this glass book. It will still fit inside my purse and I believe it will save having to remove it when going through security at the airport. The cover folds in different positions (similar to the Apple cover) for viewing and typing.

The cellular service is fantastic!!! It saves having to pay $10-12 per day hotel fees. It worked perfectly on the Caltrain from SF to San Jose.

Mendeley - Another Free (Bibliographic) Reference Manager

Mendeley was suggested as a good alternative to Zotoro by one of this blog's readers.  Read more about it at http://www.mendeley.com/

It is not open source, but it is free.  I cannot wait to explore the app!!

The reader pointed out that the Princeton web site that compared RefWorks with EndNote and Zotero is out of date.

Screen Capture - Firefox Add-on

I learned about this nice free screen capture app from a genealogy listserv!  It is called Screen Capture Elite.  It is an add-on for the Firefox web browser.  From Firefox go to Tools > Add-On > Search for Screen Capture Elite. Install it!  When it is installed (you probably need to restart your web browser) it will appear as a camera icon in the lower right corner of the Firefox web browser.  For more information go to http://www.grizzlyape.com/addons/screen-capture-elite/
Enjoy!

Personal Bibliographic Manager Software: RefWorks? Endnote? Zotero? or Both

Okay - final blog for the day - still behind on the many links that Tracy has shared.
This web site has information comparing RefWorks, EndNote, and Zotero.  If you are a student, faculty, write for publication, or do any kind of writing that requires citation, you SHOULD be using a personal reference manager.  RefWorks, Endnote, and Zotero are all great reference managers.  The site below is worth exploring to visualize the differences. That said, as one reader commented - it was dated in regards to Zotero sharing capability.

http://libguides.princeton.edu/citations

Data Exchange Software

Tracy is better than an RSS feed because she analyzed resources that she knows interest me.  She sent this site - MONAHRQ http://monahrq.ahrq.gov/ .  MONARQ is free downloadable software that provides the ability for data exhange.  Interesting!  The prerequisites for use are .NET 2.0 and Microsoft SQL.  The download site provides links to both and they are free apps. I am really looking forward to learning more.

Quote from the web site:
"MONAHRQ analyzes, summarizes, and presents information in a format ready for use by consumers and other decision-makers on:

• quality of care at the hospital level,
• health care utilization at the hospital level,
• preventable hospitalizations at the county level, and
• rates of conditions and procedures at the county level."

 

Mobile Computing & Digital Libraries

Tracy contibuted the following blog site and a particular blog.  Great additions to supplement the mobile computing and digital library chapters! Thanks Tracy!!

• The Handheld Librarian  - http://handheldlib.blogspot.com/

• PowerPoint Presentations for Point of Care to Your Palm: PDAs Playing in Peoria on Web  -  http://handheldlib.blogspot.com/2002/06/power-point-presentations-for-point-of.html  

More iPad apps

I have experimented with additional iPad apps over the past few days.  Martha continues to send me new ideas.  I now have the New York Times, USA Today, Pandora Internet Radio, Google, Flickr, Walgreens (pharmacy), and Zosh.

The newspapers work perfect on the iPad!  They are very easy to read and navigate.  On Pandora radio, you simply enter an artist, song, or composer.  Pandora works on the iPhone and the iPad.

Google is a Google search app that works with voice recognition software to conduct voice searches (iPhone and iPad).

Flickr is photo sharing, same as on the PC.

Walgreens allows you do all of the online pharmacy functions.  You can auto-renew prescriptions and receive email alerts when they are ready.

Zosh (http://zosh.com/) allows you to print, sign, and fax forms using an iPhone or iPad.

I look forward to hearing your experiences. 

SCORM Tools

SCORM resources.  Martha sent this link - Tools for creating SCORM content several weeks ago.  It is a great resource!  We will be presenting a session on SCORM tools at one of the Faculty Development Workshops this fall.

http://docs.moodle.org/en/Tools_for_creating_SCORM_content#See_also

iPad apps

Martha has been sending me iPad apps this week.  A couple of recent ones include eClicker.  Students can download the eClicker free and use their iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch as a clicker device.  The presenter pays $9.99 for the server eclicker.  This app would be perfect for Drexel nursing students who are required to have an iPod Touch.

Just this morning, she sent Phrase Board which allows a person to communicate in present time with their iPad by clicking on phrases, such as "I want pain medicine."

Search Engine TIps

I read an article about search engine tips for Google this morning and learned a couple of new techniques.  The article is at http://www.cio.com/article/598643/Secret_Google_Tricks_How_to_Search_Smarter#readerFeedback

Enjoy!

iPad and iWorks

At the onset, I thought that the iPad was a "piece of cake."  I found that I have a lot to learn (and that is a GOOD thing).  I decided to download QuickOffice and Keynote for the iPad.  QuickOffice works with Dropbox, where I have over 2 GB cloud storage space and I am using less than 13%.  Dropbox is an app on all of my devices - desktops, iPhone, iPad, and laptops. QuickOffice does the essentials of creating/editing of word processing and spreadsheet software. 

Keynote gives me two choices for saving files - a folder on my iPad and iWorks.  I was not familiar with iWorks (still in beta).  iWorks provides 1 GB of storage space - free.  I can choose to share a file with a user's email address, but I do not see a way to share a folder, like I do with Dropbox.

Microsoft Office Live vs SkyDrive

I had an ah-haa moment today while showing a student Microsoft Cloud Computing resource(s).  I realized that Office Live and Office Skydrive are two different cloud computing resources! Office Live provides 2 GB storage space, but no Cloud Computing apps.  When I upgraded to SkyDrive my Office live files were copied to the new space, but they actually currently exist in both spaces.

SkyDrive is the new resource recently released.  If you have a licensed copy of Microsoft Office, you can use the SkyDrive (http://www.live.com/) workspace that includes 25 GB storage and the Cloud Computing Word Apps - Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. SkyDrive is more than a backup storage space with web apps.  Explore the site to learn more. 

iPad WiFi and 3G information

iPad WiFi + 3G information is available at http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fforums.wireless.att.com%2Ft5%2FApple%2FiPad-Wi-Fi-3G-Information%2Ftd-p%2F1925513&usd=1&usg=AFQjCNHSxIrVxC64GFpGW8cEElLV3N2iCQ

You can turn the AT&T cellular coverage capability off & on using Settings > Cellular data. If you need to use AT&T to get Internet coverage, you must sign up for a data plan which is $14.99/month for 250 MB or $25/month for 2 GB. Any unused minutes are lost at the end of the month.

The good news is that just about everyplace I would use an iPad has WiFi Internet access.  If I am traveling and stuck at airports for several hours, the data plan would be handy.  I would rather pay to for the AT&T iPad data plan than to pay for the airport only WiFi data plan.

iPad

I picked up the iPad today!  Will be reporting updates as I learn them.  So far, there is much similarity with my iPhone.  All of the iPhone apps that I have synced with the iPad using iTunes. 

Identity Fraud Protection

Modern Healthcare noted today that the White House has released an identify-security plan.  The White House will partner with  others in the private and public sectors to develop a means for safer data exhange.  The data exchange will not be limited to healthcare, but extend to all electronic personal information, including banking data.  To read more, go to http://www.modernhealthcare.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100627/NEWS/306279990/-1

Discovering Scholarly Resources

Tracy shared a link that gets to the heart of scholarly resources discovery from the Calvin University library at http://www.calvin.edu/academic/rit/webBook/chapter4/Sec5/ssource.html . The web site has a table similar to the one that I designed. The entire Chapter 4, The Changing Nature of Information: The Digital Library, is an excellent supplement to Chapter 12 in the 3^rd edition of Informatics and Nursing: Competencies and Applications.

Identifying Peer Reviewed Journal Articles

After grading over 100 written exams that required the use of APA 6^th edition and scholarly citations, it was evident that too many students are unable to identify a peer reviewed journal article. I created a table to assist students who are analyzing digital library resources. Take a look at the table below and give me some feedback on how to make it better.

Peer Reviewed Resources

	Scholarly Journal	Magazine	Newspaper
Audience	Academics, Professionals, and college students	General Public	General Public
Abstract	Yes, although the length may vary – may be represented as a bullet list	No	No
Citations	Yes	No	No
Reference List	Yes	No	No
Language	Scholarly or technical	Simple & easy to understand	Simple & easy to understand
Length	2-10 pages	Usually less than 3 pages	Short
Author's name and credentials	Included	May or may not include a name, but credentials not usually noted	May or may not include a name, but credentials not usually noted
Written by	Scholars who are experts in the profession	Professional writers	Professional writers
Advertisements	None or very few	Many advertisements	Many advertisements
Color	Usually black and white	Colorful	Colorful
Publication Cycle	Every 2-3 months	Weekly or monthly	Daily or weekly
Peer-Reviewed	Yes	No	No
Examples	CIN: Computers, Informatics, Nursing Journal of Nursing Scholarship Journal of Advanced Nursing	Advance for Nurses Advance for Nurse Practitioners Nursing Times	AACN News Pulse Healthcare IT News

Free Microsoft Office Startup Version

CNET posted an article about Microsoft's plans to give a starter version of Office free.  Most new computers purchased after the expected June 2010 release will come with the starter version of Office installed.

I am currently using the trial beta version of 2010.  The streaming download was phenomenal! I am just beginning to explore the cloud computing options.  I have been using Windows Live since the inception.  Office 2010 uses the term "Skydrive" for the off-line file manager.

Of course, I also use Zoho, OpenOffice.org, Google docs and IBM Lotus Symphony as comparitive office software  packages.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-20001553-56.html?tag=newsLeadStoriesArea

Ramping Up Office Skills

I created a couple of posts outlining basic, intermediate, and advanced skills for using office suite software. 

So perhaps you realize that you are ready to learn some additional skills.

There are lots of FREE high-quality learning resources.

http://www.gcflearnfree.org/computer/ - is free, but requires a login and password

http://h30187.www3.hp.com/  is also free, but requires a login and password

Microsoft provides many free interactive tutorials at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/training/default.aspx