Smartphones in the operating room: Can perioperative nurses be trusted?

Abstract

The use of hand-held technology has become ubiquitous in modern life. For many Australians, handheld technology is a necessity with nearly nine out of ten owning a smartphone. Smartphones are now so powerful they can supersede the need to use any other digital device. In the clinical environment, smartphones offer a pocketsized, convenient and immediate means of accessing a wide range of information and resources on relevant topics such as medications, surgical procedures and equipment as well as access to organisational email communications and health care–related apps. While computers are available in many clinical areas, access is often constrained and their use remains dedicated to patient management systems, diagnostics, pathology, sterile tracking systems and, more recently, electronic medical records. As with previous technological advancements, the use of smartphones presents unique social and professional opportunities and challenges. How we choose to use – or not use – our smartphone is critical. The increasing availability and capability of handheld technology in health care requires a specialised workforce with an understanding of appropriate use of digital technology. While there has been a rapid evolution in smartphone technology with widespread application in health care, the development of guidelines and policies to govern their use has been slow to follow.