Smartphone use among nursing students during clinical placements: a five-year comparison of use, distraction, and...

To identify patterns of smartphone use among nursing students during clinical placements, examine perceptions of smartphone use as a professional tool and a source of distraction, explore attitudes towards smartphone use policies, and compare findings with data collected 5 years earlier.

A descriptive cross-sectional study compared two independent cohorts of nursing students from a Spanish nursing school: Period I (2016/17; n = 234) and Period II (2023/24; n = 203). Data were collected using the same structured questionnaire, assessing smartphone use, distraction experiences, and attitudes towards restriction policies. Descriptive and non-parametric analyses were performed.

Professional and academic smartphone use increased significantly over the five-year period, particularly for communication with healthcare professionals, access to clinical information, use of healthcare applications and academic tasks. Social media use remained highly prevalent in both cohorts. Despite greater smartphone use, self-reported distraction did not increase, while distraction caused by peers decreased. Students in Period II expressed less support for restrictive smartphone policies, particularly in hospital settings. Professional and academic smartphone use were positively associated with perceived work efficiency and less restrictive attitudes towards smartphone use.

Smartphones have become increasingly integrated into nursing students' clinical learning experiences. Greater professional and academic use was not accompanied by increased perceived distraction, suggesting an ongoing normalization of smartphones as educational and clinical tools. The findings support promoting digital professionalism and responsible smartphone use rather than relying primarily on restrictive policies.