A new societal norm.
Kathleen Bartholomew
Most of us have seen the cars on the highway that suddenly slow down in the passing lane, blocking other cars while weaving dangerously across the dividing lines between lanes. We know the signs of distracted driving well enough by now. It resembles drunk driving. Or we’ve had to dodge the people staring down at their cell phones as they blindly approach us on the sidewalk.
Divided attention in the nursing workplace.
The examples of distraction because of cell phone use are endless; in fact, especially in certain places and age groups, this form of preoccupation has become the norm. The behavior carries over into many workplaces, and nursing is not exempt. The following excerpt is from this month’s Viewpoint essay by nurse educator and consultant Kathleen Bartholomew, “Not So Smart: Cell Phone Use Hurts Our Patients and Profession.”
It is 6:45 in the morning, and as I pass a patient in the ED, I see a nursing assistant watching a movie on her phone. She is supposed to be monitoring the 1:1 suicide risk, yet she appears so intrigued with the movie that I wonder if the patient is safe—or perhaps wants to talk.
Earlier that same day, a nurse tells me a story of calling the rapid response team because her spinal cord patient was in respiratory distress. The two nurses at the desk told her to “hold on a minute” when she called out for help because they were engaged in social media on their smartphones. I didn’t believe this story, but the manager verified the event.
Bartholomew acknowledges that cell phones can be useful clinical tools in certain circumstances. But when nurses are checking personal social media accounts and chatting with friends when there are patients in need of care or a dozen other tasks that need doing, it’s clear that a line has been crossed.
The attachment runs deep.
Hospital policies on cell phone use do exist, says Bartholomew, but they are “universally ignored.” Why is this so? Because, she suggests, many nurses have, like everyone else, become profoundly accustomed to and attached to nearly constant cell use. We may know it’s our responsibility to focus on the task at hand, but we also “want our cell phones.”
What’s your take on cell phone use at work? When is it appropriate, if ever?
I have been a nurse for 11 years and I have seen the terrible side of overuse of cellphones on the floor. People have ignored call lights, bed/ safety alarms and even rapid response calls to sit on their phones. I even see staff taking pictures of doctors and other staff without their permission and even patients.
Cell phones enhance the quality of patient care. We were never able to carry Davis drug guide, lab reference material, policy and procedures, and view procedures tutorials in an instant before cell phones. Looking things up always took us away from the patient and then started the cumbersome process of sifting through large books and binders to read about a procedure we can now WATCH on YouTube. The instances of nurses ignoring a call for help while they watch a movie are problems with THE EMPLOYEE, and would be so without the cell phone.
I loved Ms. Bartholomew’s editorial and put it on my office door. I share the same concerns and agree that avoiding personal use while working should be a matter of common sense. The reality is, it isn’t, for some who apparently feel entitled to routinely engage in a multitude of social correspondence throughout their workday. Were all of these interactions with immediate and remote family, friends, acquaintances and social media contacts coming through a unit or office phone, they would most certainly be considered disruptive and unprofessional, resulting in disciplinary action. Each of these contacts cost the employer (and others who rely on and work with the employee) time and productivity…not just for the specific phone use time but also all of the time needed to return to refocus on work tasks after each of these social distractions.
The increasing time most of us spend on our smart phones is well-documented…such is the nature of any addiction. It is a self-perpetuating cycle in response to basic relief-seeking physiology. There is no end point. The increased distraction, as Ms. Bartholomew illustrates, IS impacting patient care negatively. When we are at work we need to be focused on our work, our patients…not preoccupied throughout every working hour with what is waiting for us on our phones. In addition to the increasing evidence discussing the effects of phone use on our brains, we must be concerned with their immediate negative impact on patient care, not only in delaying responding to alarms and requests, but also on our ability to reflect, to anticipate, to problem-solve, to critically think, to catch errors before they become catastrophic.
Between this and 12-hour shifts, I believe we will lose our “most trusted” status, for we no longer demonstrate that our patients come first.
How did we ever do it before cell phones? The same way we should be doing things now. Our hospital has a strict “no personal cell phones while on duty” policy and they have fired people who haven’t complied. They give out hospital issued communication devices that work as well or better.
While I am in agreement, personal use of cellphones at work is improper work ethic; they are also a fantastic tool. I have seen my staff use their phones as a distraction technique while performing uncomfortable procedures on children. They have used their cells to look up medications, calculate dosages, and pull up pertinent information while teaching family’s. I don’t condone the use for Facebook or social media situations and my nurses don’t take advantage. If the use the phone for personal use they always step out of the department.
When used appropriately, the use of cell phone can enhance the patient’s experience.
Minneapolis/St. Paul bus drivers are prohibited from possessing personal phones while driving, unless they are powered down completely and stowed out of reach of the driver. Perhaps that should also be required of hospital personnel having patient contact?
It should be a matter of common sense that cell phones should not be used for persnal activity while on duty.