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The objective of this study was to examine the factors that might influence the use of personal digital assistant devices (PDAs) by physicians for assistance in the delivery of their routine patient care. An Internet-based single-institution survey was done of internal medicine resident physicians. None of the baseline demographic characteristics measured were associated with whether PDAs were being used or not by resident physicians in patient care. Resident physicians who used their PDAs for medical purposes perceived more benefits associated with the use of PDAs, and fewer barriers, than did those who did not own a PDA, or owned one but did not use it for medical purposes. Among regular users of PDAs for medical purposes, greater frequency of use in patient care was associated with more positive perceptions of the devices. Some associations were also found between residents' self-reported standardized test scores and the type of information resources being used on their device. Similar to previous studies, the majority of those in this cohort owned PDAs, and most of those who owned one used it for assistance in delivery of their patient care. It is concluded that users of PDAs for medical purposes differ from nonusers in certain attitudes and opinions, and standardized test scores may correlate with different patterns of use. These results may be useful in helping medical leaders overcome barriers to more full adoption of PDAs as a tool for effective patient care.

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Professionals and volunteers who care about the welfare of young people know the importance of caring adults. The field has worked with all types of adults, including parents, teachers, and youth workers to enhance their understanding of youth development philosophy, approaches and practices. However, we’ve virtually ignored an entire sector of adults who play a major role in the lives of young people—employers. Given the large number of youth in the workforce, and understanding the critical role of caring adults, the question becomes, “how do we focus attention on preparing employers and other workplace adults to be more thoughtful and intentional about their interactions with young people?” The objective of this paper is to lay out the relevant issues and to begin the dialogue about building the capacity of employers to better support the development of our young people.

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Volunteers are central to the delivery of 4-H programs, and providing quality, relevant training is key to volunteer success. Online, asynchronous modules are an enhancement to a training delivery menu for adult volunteers, providing consistent, accessible options traditionally delivered primarily face to face. This article describes how Minnesota 4-H focuses on a team approach to the intentional instructional design process used to develop interactive and engaging asynchronous training modules for adult volunteers. The roles and responsibilities of the team members are described along with how this method expedites module development, increases quality, and minimizes costs.