Smartphone Addiction Serious and Dangerous Problem
Many smartphone users will claim their phone as their “lifeline” or an “extension of their arm”. I even came across a study that found that receiving a text message sends a small amount of dopamine to the brain of a smartphone user, sometimes leading to what is known as “phantom buzz” syndrome, or the sensation that your phone is buzzing when it actually isn’t. Just like a drug addict, this small rush of dopamine can send a smartphone user to constantly seek another “high” through their smartphone use. Not sounding too serious, you say? Think again; smartphone addiction could mean the difference between life and death in some situations.
Medical Professionals Distracted by Smartphones
Distracted driving aside, lets talk about another area where smartphone users’ distraction can cause serious problems. From acute care to respiratory centers, doctors, nurses and other medical professionals are becoming distracted by their smartphones, sometimes leading to perilous consequences for patients. Peter J. Papadokos, an anesthesiologist and director of critical care at the University of Rochester Medical Center in NY, calls this “distracted doctoring”. He stresses that it isn’t just doctors that are distracted, it’s all levels of medical professional staff. He also says that our obsession with smartphones is a cultural phenomenon, and that it leads to serious problems when doctors must wade through family and junk emails while also receiving pertinent emails about patients and their care.
Four-Step Plan to Stop “Distracted Doctoring”
Fortunately, Dr. Papadakos says that there is a four-step plan to stem “distracted doctoring”, or any smartphone addiction, regardless of one’s profession. Based on the CAGE model used for alcoholics, Dr. Papadakos recommends the following:
Step 1: Raise Awareness
Help people understand eDevice addiction and show them how to modify behavior.
Ask these modified CAGE Questions used for alcohol addiction to assess addiction (for yourself and your staff) to personal electronic devices (PED):
Help establish healthy eDevice habits, such as:
Step 2: Build and enforce strict eDevice policy
Establish detailed rules for eDevice use in all patient care areas.
A good eDevice Code of Conduct should:
Step 3: Create sacred space where eDevices are not permitted
Implement a No Interruption Zone.
Establish clear rules with every member of the surgical team to ensure NO interruptions from eDevices during these critical phases of the operative procedure:
Induction
Emergence
Time outs
Counting
Step 4: Teach by example
Be self-aware of eDevice behavior, follow established rules at work and practice good eDevice etiquette outside of work.
Develop healthy eDevice habits in your personal life; don’t text while driving and don’t look at your phone during face-to-face conversations.
