Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016 May 31;4(2):e43.
doi: 10.2196/mhealth.5071.

Use of iPhones by Nurses in an Acute Care Setting to Improve Communication and Decision-Making Processes: Qualitative Analysis of Nurses' Perspectives on iPhone Use

Maureen Farrell  1
Affiliations

Use of iPhones by Nurses in an Acute Care Setting to Improve Communication and Decision-Making Processes: Qualitative Analysis of Nurses' Perspectives on iPhone Use

Maureen Farrell. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. .

Abstract

Background: Smartphones and other mobile devices are having and will continue to have an impact on health care delivery in acute settings in Australia and overseas. Nurses, unlike physicians, have been slow to adopt these technologies and the reasons for this may relate to the status of both these professions within the hospital setting.

Objective: To explore nurses' perspectives on iPhone use within an acute care unit. We examined their experiences and views on how this device may improve communication and decision-making processes at the point of care.

Methods: Two focus group discussions, using a semistructured interview, were conducted over the trial period. The discussions focused on the nurses' experiences regarding ease of use, features, and capabilities of the device. The focus groups were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using semistructured interview questions as a guide.

Results: The positive findings indicated that the iPhones were accessible and portable at point of care with patients, enhanced communication in the workplace, particularly among the nurses, and that this technology would evolve and be embraced by all nurses in the future. The negatives were the small screen size when undertaking bedside education for the patient and the invasive nature of the device. Another issue was the perception of being viewed as unprofessional when using the device in real time with the patients and their family.

Conclusions: The use of iPhones by nurses in acute care settings has the potential to enhance patient care, especially through more effective communication among nurses, and other health care professionals. To ensure that the benefits of this technology is woven into the everyday practice of the nurse, it is important that leaders in these organizations develop the agenda or policy to ensure that this occurs.

Keywords: acute care; clinical decision making; communication; iPhones; nursing.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: None declared.

References

    1. Moore Sally, Jayewardene Dharshana. The use of smartphones in clinical practice. Nurs Manag (Harrow) 2014 Jul;21(4):18–22. doi: 10.7748/nm.21.4.18.e1225. - DOI - PubMed
    1. mHealthNews. [2015-07-28]. Nurses and Smartphones; A Vital Connection 2015 http://www.mhealthnews.com/news/nurses-and-smartphones-vital-connection .
    1. Farrell M, Baldwin I, Fealy N. Postgraduate nurses’ use of personal digital assistants in critical care. Electron J Health Inform. 2011;6(3):e24.
    1. Wilden J, Riley RH. Personal digital assistant (PDA) use amongst anaesthetists: An Australian survey. Anaesth Intensive Care. 2005 Apr;33(2):256–260. - PubMed
    1. White A, Allen P, Goodwin L, Breckinridge D, Dowell J, Garvy R. Infusing PDA technology into nursing education. Nurse Educ. 2005;30(4):150–154.00006223-200507000-00006 - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources