ORX Proceedings
Page 22
Fighting the 'Gizmo Addiction'
Personal electronic devices are distracting from patient care.
It wasn't enough for audience members to silence their smartphones. No, anesthesiologist Peter Papadakos, MD, wanted them to turn the devices on their faces while he spoke. Seriously, he said: Turn your phones over. Good, now the world's foremost expert on distracted doctoring has your undivided attention — unlike the scene in most operating rooms.
"Everybody's addicted to their gizmos," says Dr. Papadakos. When you come
onto the surgical wing, you pass the unit secretary "who is texting on her smartphone," then the nurse, "who is surfing the Web," then the resident, "who is gaming on his tablet."
And while those distractions are a concern, the bigger concern is what's happening in the OR.
"Everything we learn about time outs and other precautions is meaningless if we don't focus our staff," says Dr. Papadakos. "How many people realize that their staffs aren't paying attention during time outs, because they're busy checking Facebook and e-mails?"
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IRRESISTIBLE?
Residents surf the Internet even when they know they're being observed, says Donna Ford, MSN, RN-BC, CNOR.
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SCARY THOUGHT
There's a good chance your staff members are checking e-mail during time outs, says Peter Papadakos, MD.
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