LocumLife - September 2008 - (Page 14)

Unplugged the career alternative full-time. He almost exclusively partners with Locum Medical Group, a staffing company based in Cleveland, Ohio. “I basically fulfill contracts at a few area hospitals and imaging centers where I have previously practiced,” explains Dr. Kanvinde. “My children, Vrishali and Shantanu, are still in school, which is why I prefer to remain local for now. Although, once in a while, I like to venture farther away.” Busy days can make communicating with his children or his wife, Jennifer, a bit challenging. That is one of many situations when Dr. Kanvinde relies on his cell phone. He explains, “If I am dictating, for example, and cannot take phone calls, my children will text me. I will then either call them back at a more convenient time or return their message with another text. Learning their teenager texting lingo has helped me understand them better.” His family members are not the only ones he texts. “I actually prefer this type of communication because I have found it to be very efficient and effective,” says Dr. Kanvinde. “Texting clinicians helps to speed up communication. In fact, my kids tease me that I am one of a handful of parents they know who sends hundreds of text messages each month.” Dr. Kanvinde certainly is not alone. A growing number of physicians and non-physician providers reach for their cell phones to stay in contact with family, friends, and peers. One of the hottest products at the moment is the smartphone, like the iPhone, Treo™, or BlackBerry®. By definition, these handheld devices combine e-mail, Internet access, telephone services, PDA options, and computing functions. “If it were not for these phones, it would be so much more difficult to reach clinicians and staffing companies,” says Dr. Kanvinde. “I carry my colleagues’ contact information in my phone, so if I have a critical finding I must convey, or an interesting case to share, I can quickly call the ordering clinician or a colleague for a teleconference. I can even send images so they can see exactly what I am seeing during our conversation. On the other hand, physicians, nurses, and my recruiter can find me virtually anytime to discuss various issues. Neither do I have to sit by a landline phone waiting, nor do they have to jump through extensions, operators, and answering systems to get hold of me. I can still continue my personal and professional life.” While most physicians and other health professionals have a personal preference when it comes to specific phones or PDA models and service providers, locum tenens practitioners are expected to learn the existing computer system at the contracting acute care hospital, clinic, or solo or group private practice. Dr. Kanvinde recommends you allow enough time at the onset to become familiar with it. “I try to set aside at least 2 hours to train on the facility’s Picture Archival and Communications System (PACS), as well as the dictation system and EMR protocols.” He adds, “Software can vary www.LocumLife.com SURVEY SAYS: PDAs AND SMARTPHONES I n 2004, a team of researchers at the University of South Florida looked at the prevalence of personal digital assistant (PDA) usage by attending physicians and physicians in training throughout ﬁve states. They found that 87% of the 108 participants utilized the technology for patient encounters, and over half (55%) reported frequent PDA usage. Of those, 85% believed PDAs had influenced their overall clinical decision making and 73% mentioned treatment alterations. That same year, Skyscape, a mobile medical information provider, surveyed 1,600 cardiologists, pediatricians, internists, and nurses who used handheld computers. Nearly 92% of participating physicians believed PDAs helped them improve efficiencies, and half of all respondents indicated usage reduced medical errors by more than 4%. Findings showed three-quarters of those surveyed had at least three medical references on their PDAs, with 46% of internists reporting ﬁve or more sources. Most popular were drug references (88% of respondents) and clinical sources (75% of participating pediatricians). As technology has advanced and the availability of software applications has ﬂourished over recent years, experts have seen an increase in PDA use. As of 2007, about 330,000 physicians used PDAs, smartphones, or tablet computers. According to a Medical Economics survey of physicians, conducted that year in connection with Epocrates, a supplier of electronic medical information, nearly half of the 503 respondents used PDAs for CME with two-thirds expecting to do so by 2012. Smartphones, in particular, are grabbing the attention of a growing number of doctors across the country. In its 2007 report, “Deﬁning the Black Bag of the 21st Century: The Evolution of Mobile eHealth Applications,” The Diffusion Group predicts the percentage of all active physicians using smartphones will grow to 70% by 2011—up from 49% in 2006. 14 LocumLife SEPTEMBER 2008 http://www.LocumLife.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of LocumLife - September 2008

LocumLife - September 2008 Editorial Contents From Nalto Stat! Dynamics The Net Last-Minute Luxury Unplugged Going Wireless on the Road Getting Oriented Advertiser Index Opportunities Direct Destinations On Location Contest Rules Anyone's Guess La Vita Locum

LocumLife - September 2008

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