Distraction by smartphone use during clinical practice and opinions about smartphone restriction policies: A cross-sectional descriptive study of nursing students

• We assessed nursing students' smartphone use and perceptions of restriction policies.
• 46.2% of nursing students used smartphones during clinical practice.
• The majority of respondents had observed nurses using smartphones at work.
• Higher smartphone use was linked to disagreement with restriction policies.
• Education regarding the risks of smartphone use needs to be provided.

BackgroundSmartphone use in healthcare settings may distract healthcare providers and disrupt patient care. Moreover, it may lead to adverse events, thereby threatening patient safety.ObjectivesThis study assessed nursing students' smartphone use as a source of distraction in clinical practice and identified their opinions about policies restricting smartphone use during patient care.DesignA cross-sectional descriptive design was used with convenience sampling.ParticipantsThird-year nursing students (n = 312) from two nursing schools in the Republic of Korea completed the survey in 2012.MethodsA self-report questionnaire—based on addiction theories for problem behaviors and literature on the distraction caused by cellular phone use—was used to assess smartphone use, experiences of distraction caused by smartphone use, and opinions about restriction policies on smartphone use during clinical practice.ResultsNearly half (46.2%) of the nursing students used smartphones at least sometimes during clinical practice and about a quarter of the respondents (24.7%) were at least sometimes distracted by smartphones during clinical practice. The majority of the respondents (83.7%) had witnessed nurses using smartphones at least sometimes during their work. A few respondents (15.7%) agreed or strongly agreed with the policy for restricting smartphone use in hospitals. Students who used smartphones more often tended to disagree with restriction policies for smartphone use in hospitals.ConclusionAwareness about the risks of smartphone use, especially regarding patient safety, is necessary for nursing students in school and hospital settings. Educators and faculty of nursing schools need to develop policies that encourage intelligent and safe use of smartphones during clinical practice.