Automatic Work-Hours Recorder for Medical Staff (Staff Hours): Mobile App Development

Area of Science:

• Mobile health technology
• Occupational health
• Medical informatics

Background:

• Existing work hour tracking apps lack automatic logging and customization for medical staff.
• Medical professionals face complex schedules with regular and on-call duties, complicating manual time tracking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify GPS-defined work hours using the Staff Hours app.
• To examine overtime hours by comparing app-recorded data with scheduled hours.
• To compare app-recorded work hours across different medical occupations.

Main Methods:

• Developed the Staff Hours app for automatic work hour calculation via GPS background data.
• Included 183 volunteers, predominantly medical staff (88.5%), including residents, visiting staff, nurses, and students.
• Users entered scheduled hours; the app generated overtime reports by comparing recorded vs. scheduled hours.

Main Results:

• Total work hours (mean 55.69) were significantly higher than scheduled hours (mean 50.67; P=.01).
• Medical staff logged significantly more hours (mean 57.01) than non-health care professionals (mean 45.48; P=.02).
• Resident physicians reported the longest hours (mean 60.38), exceeding visiting staff and non-HCPs (P<.05).

Conclusions:

• Staff Hours is the first GPS-based app for automatic work hour tracking and overtime calculation for medical staff.
• The app provides accurate, real-time work hour records, reducing bias and aiding regulatory compliance.
• This technology can improve adherence to labor laws and provide insights into the demanding schedules of healthcare professionals.