Smartphones create disruptions in medicine

[NutritionRunner]

Just wondering about clerks and residents thoughts on smartphone use in the hospital.

 

See: http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2013/05/28/smartphone-medical-residents.html

 

From the article: "Residents also said they found smartphones useful in situations where they felt unsure of their competence doing a procedure.

 

On the other hand, supervisors perceived that the rapid access lowered the threshold for trainees to contact them instead of looking up information themselves.

 

When residents responded to smartphone interruptions or started texting during patient care or formal teaching sessions, clinicians perceived trainees as being rude or disrespectful."

[deadlybutterfly]

Well, in many environments it is considered rude to pull out your phone just to send a text or to do something useless.

[rmorelan]

Well, in many environments it is considered rude to pull out your phone just to send a text or to do something useless.

 

and if you happen to be at almost any job the percentage of those times it is wrong goes up. Ha - doing a unimportant txt during rounding, that pretty much would guarantee you would be yelled at I would think

 

Not sure though if you are looking up medically relevant info why they would be horribly upset - I mean why would I contact my supervisor if I can access the correct information immediately with out bugging them. I did it as a clerk all the time.

[Lactic Folly]

Socially astute students show their preceptors what they are looking up on the phone (proving they were on task, else the worst might be assumed) - however, it can be difficult to remember to do and there is not always an appropriate interlude...

[igeorgex]

It's kind of an annoying situation - I use my smartphone to look up drugs during rounds all the time or like remind myself of a feature of a certain disease but can easily see how that can be interpreted as being rude. I just try to look it up as fast as I can and put it away right after I'm done.

 

Then when/if you get a washroom break, go check your email lol

[A-Stark]

It IS rude, and I'm not sure why looking up stuff on your phone ought to be considered a substitute for, say, asking a question. As Lactic says, it's not because of what you're actually doing, but what it looks like you're doing.

 

Anyway, smartphones are destroying interpersonal interactions and general sociability as a more general thing.

[Intrepid86]

It really just depends on the work culture of the rotation site you're at. If your attending, resident/intern etc all freely use their phones then it's most likely acceptable for you as well. What may be considered rude in one place may be totally fine at another.

[dazzle]

It really just depends on the work culture of the rotation site you're at. If your attending, resident/intern etc all freely use their phones then it's most likely acceptable for you as well. What may be considered rude in one place may be totally fine at another.

 

Yet I think that patients would always find it rude.

[Lactic Folly]

Unless you say - hang on, let me find a picture of what I've just described for you - and then show them!

[dazzle]

I never found it reassuring for a doctor or pharmacist to look up something on the internet, like a drug side-effect, in order to explain some phenomenon happening to me as a patient. Diseases have different manifestations, and the same is the case with side-effects, and it doesn't prove me anything that something I have is on a list. I'd rather the doctor use his/her discernment to determine whether a particular member on the list should apply to my case, and I use the word "should" normatively, in respect of what is reasonable for the physician to conclude given the situation.

 

Anyway I'm speaking from personal experience in which I found the use of the internet rude and un-physician-like. I guess there are different ways to spin it, and I wish I didn't have to end my message with this lame cop-out haha.

[A-Stark]

Heh.

 

I don't think I've ever shown a patient anything on my phone that wasn't a picture of some kind. Though I've done it rarely and I can't even remember a specific time. I did once draw a picture of a PDA for a mother while on peds.

[rmorelan]

I have an ipad with me - I use it to draw pictures and have preloaded anatomy programs for the heart, muscles, skeleton etc.

 

and there is no way I am ever going to know the proper spelling, name, dose, and side effect list of every drug I run into - I am going to look it up to be safe pretty much every time. That may come of as a bit weak but I am a radiologist to be and I have to focus somewhat or I will be ineffective at everything rather than good at least some things.

[shady]

My family physician was checking something obscure and unlikely to come up during my list visit. She took out a huge textbook and checked stuff in it. Had she used an iPad, a cellphone, or a plain old computer I really wouldn't have cared.

 

That being said, I can see why people avoid cellphones in particular. They might give the wrong impression that one is texting which is obviously rude.

[ldnk]

It IS rude, and I'm not sure why looking up stuff on your phone ought to be considered a substitute for, say, asking a question. As Lactic says, it's not because of what you're actually doing, but what it looks like you're doing.

 

Anyway, smartphones are destroying interpersonal interactions and general sociability as a more general thing.

 

I don't know, sometimes I'm just trying to look up something small to reorient myself to the discussion. I've had numerous preceptors who take absolutely every question with the approach of "answer your question for me". Sometimes I just need a quick refresh and don't need to be grilled for 5 minutes on a minor topic that ends up being more disruptive than a simple medscape search.

 

I'm fine with asking staff questions, but sometimes it really just ends up being more of an inconvenience (and is made abundantly clear that it is).