Smartphones' impact on nursing performances: a cross-sectional multicenter study

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Technology
• Nursing Informatics
• Sociology of Technology

Background:

• The increasing integration of technology impacts healthcare settings.
• Understanding the influence of personal communication devices (PCDs) in hospitals is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To survey registered nurses' views on the impact of personal communication devices in hospital units.
• To identify demographic and organizational factors influencing mobile device use among nurses.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional survey study was conducted.
• A 22-item questionnaire was administered to 778 registered nurses.
• Data were collected via both pen-and-paper and online survey methods.

Main Results:

• Smartphone use impacts performance, utilization, and perceived impact differently across gender, age, and education.
• Males using devices for non-work activities reported greater negative performance impact than females.
• Younger nurses and those with less experience reported higher distraction from non-work-related smartphone use.

Conclusions:

• Smartphones present a potential distraction in hospital settings, particularly for younger nurses and those with less experience.
• These demographic factors (young age, limited experience) are associated with increased distraction.
• Despite distraction concerns, younger nurses perceive potential benefits for patient care skills.