OBJECTIVE: This study focuses on the development of a systematic and efficient information system for effective management of patient data in home hospice care. It is easily implemented in the hospice environment and is based on wired and wireless communications along with mobile computing technology.

METHODS: The design of this portable home hospice information system was based on an analysis of the services provided by visiting nurses and on the opinions of users, in accordance with the Ministry of Health and Welfare's Guidelines for Cancer Patient Management Program 2005. The system has eight main menus, each of which performs a different function. The system includes the home hospice information system (HHIS), a compact .NET framework, and the health center information system (HCIS).

RESULTS: A trial was conducted with three experienced visiting nurses, who each used a personal digital assistant (PDA) loaded with the new system to add patient information. The functions include registering a new patient, performing appropriate nursing service according to established guidelines, based on the patient's condition, and searching data records. The system resulted in a saving of 8.5 minutes in nursing data recording time.

CONCLUSION: The findings of this study are expected to help field workers in community nursing to decrease the nursing data recording time by using PDAs.