Patients' perception of using a smartphone light source in the clinical environment

Area of Science:

• Medical Examination Practices
• Patient Perception Studies
• Clinical Professionalism

Background:

• Adequate lighting is crucial for oral head and neck examinations.
• Smartphone light sources are increasingly used in clinical settings for intra-oral examinations.
• Patient perception of professional conduct during examinations is important.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if patients perceive the use of a smartphone as a light source during head and neck examinations as unprofessional.
• To identify specific aspects of clinical examinations that patients deem unprofessional.

Main Methods:

• A pilot survey (n=10) and a main study (n=150) were conducted using a staged clinical photograph.
• The photograph depicted professional errors, including the use of a smartphone camera flash as a light source.
• Participants were asked to identify unprofessional aspects in the presented clinical photograph.

Main Results:

• 97% of patients considered the use of a smartphone light source unprofessional in the staged photograph.
• The smartphone light source was the most frequently identified 'error', surpassing even a clinician not wearing gloves (81%).
• Other identified unprofessional elements included sitting on the bed (88%) and lack of privacy (62%).

Conclusions:

• This study is the first to investigate patient views on smartphone light source use in clinical examinations.
• The majority of patients (85%) found smartphone light sources unprofessional during clinical examinations.
• The authors advise against using smartphone light sources in patient care due to negative patient perceptions.