Filipino Nurses' Use of Smartphones in Clinical Settings

While previous research has examined specific ways that nurses have used smartphones for work purposes in clinical settings, large-sample quantitative studies are limited, particularly in Asia. To address this research gap, this study provided a ranking on how nurses have used their smartphones for work purposes in clinical settings and identified differences based on demographic and organizational factors. In January to June 2017, a pen-and-paper survey was administered to 517 staff nurses employed in 19 tertiary-level general hospitals in Metro Manila, Philippines. Results show that nurses frequently used their smartphones to exchange voice calls and text messages with other nurses and doctors. Results also showed that specific items reflecting the use of smartphones for communication purposes differed according to gender, age, hospital ownership, nursing area, number of patients handled in last shift, and presence of a hospital-provided mobile phone. Next, some items for information-seeking purposes differed according to highest educational attainment and years of clinical experience. Moreover, some items for documentation purposes differed according to age, hospital ownership, and number of patients handled in last shift. Overall, the results of this study can be used to guide policies on the use of smartphones in clinical settings.