Automatic Work-Hours Recorder for Medical Staff (Staff Hours): Mobile App Development
BackgroundThere are numerous mobile apps for tracking work hours, but only a few of them record work hours automatically instead of relying on manual logging. No apps have been customized for medical staff, whose work schedules are highly complicated as they have both regular hours and on-call dutie...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
JMIR Publications
2020-02-01
|
| Series: | JMIR mHealth and uHealth |
| Online Access: | http://mhealth.jmir.org/2020/2/e16063/ |
| _version_ | 1818381952074383360 |
|---|---|
| author | Chiang, Ting-Wei Chen, Si-Yu Pan, Yuan-Chien Lin, Yu-Hsuan |
| author_facet | Chiang, Ting-Wei Chen, Si-Yu Pan, Yuan-Chien Lin, Yu-Hsuan |
| author_sort | Chiang, Ting-Wei |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | BackgroundThere are numerous mobile apps for tracking work hours, but only a few of them record work hours automatically instead of relying on manual logging. No apps have been customized for medical staff, whose work schedules are highly complicated as they have both regular hours and on-call duties.
ObjectiveThe specific aims of this study were to (1) identify the Staff Hours app users’ GPS-defined work hours, (2) examine the overtime work hours from the app-recorded total work hours and the participants’ self-reported scheduled work hours, and (3) compare these app-recorded total work hours among different occupations.
MethodsWe developed an app, Staff Hours, to automatically calculate a user’s work hours via GPS background data. Users can enter their scheduled hours, including regular hours and on-call duties. The app automatically generates overtime reports by comparing the app-recorded total work hours with the user-defined scheduled hours. A total of 183 volunteers (60 females and 123 males; mean age 32.98 years, SD 6.74) were included in this study. Most of the participants (162/183, 88.5%) were medical staff, and their positions were resident physicians (n=89), visiting staff (n=38), medical students (n=10), registered nurses (n=25), and non–health care professionals (non-HCPs; n=21).
ResultsThe total work hours (mean 55.69 hours, SD 21.34) of the 183 participants were significantly higher than their scheduled work hours (mean 50.67 hours, SD 21.44; P=.01). Medical staff had significantly longer total work hours (mean 57.01 hours, SD 21.20) than non-HCPs (mean 45.48 hours, SD 20.08; P=.02). Residents (mean 60.38 hours, SD 18.67) had significantly longer work hours than visiting staff (mean 51.42 hours, SD 20.33; P=.03) and non-HCPs (mean 45.48 hours, SD 20.08; P=.004).
ConclusionsStaff Hours is the first automatic GPS location–based app designed for medical staff to track work hours and calculate overtime. For medical staff, this app could keep complete and accurate records of work hours in real time, reduce bias, and allow for better complying with labor regulations. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-14T02:42:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7b58fef728ac4df481fe9eaf49e3f64e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2291-5222 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-14T02:42:45Z |
| publishDate | 2020-02-01 |
| publisher | JMIR Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | JMIR mHealth and uHealth |
| spelling | doaj.art-7b58fef728ac4df481fe9eaf49e3f64e2022-12-21T23:19:59ZengJMIR PublicationsJMIR mHealth and uHealth2291-52222020-02-0182e1606310.2196/16063Automatic Work-Hours Recorder for Medical Staff (Staff Hours): Mobile App DevelopmentChiang, Ting-WeiChen, Si-YuPan, Yuan-ChienLin, Yu-HsuanBackgroundThere are numerous mobile apps for tracking work hours, but only a few of them record work hours automatically instead of relying on manual logging. No apps have been customized for medical staff, whose work schedules are highly complicated as they have both regular hours and on-call duties. ObjectiveThe specific aims of this study were to (1) identify the Staff Hours app users’ GPS-defined work hours, (2) examine the overtime work hours from the app-recorded total work hours and the participants’ self-reported scheduled work hours, and (3) compare these app-recorded total work hours among different occupations. MethodsWe developed an app, Staff Hours, to automatically calculate a user’s work hours via GPS background data. Users can enter their scheduled hours, including regular hours and on-call duties. The app automatically generates overtime reports by comparing the app-recorded total work hours with the user-defined scheduled hours. A total of 183 volunteers (60 females and 123 males; mean age 32.98 years, SD 6.74) were included in this study. Most of the participants (162/183, 88.5%) were medical staff, and their positions were resident physicians (n=89), visiting staff (n=38), medical students (n=10), registered nurses (n=25), and non–health care professionals (non-HCPs; n=21). ResultsThe total work hours (mean 55.69 hours, SD 21.34) of the 183 participants were significantly higher than their scheduled work hours (mean 50.67 hours, SD 21.44; P=.01). Medical staff had significantly longer total work hours (mean 57.01 hours, SD 21.20) than non-HCPs (mean 45.48 hours, SD 20.08; P=.02). Residents (mean 60.38 hours, SD 18.67) had significantly longer work hours than visiting staff (mean 51.42 hours, SD 20.33; P=.03) and non-HCPs (mean 45.48 hours, SD 20.08; P=.004). ConclusionsStaff Hours is the first automatic GPS location–based app designed for medical staff to track work hours and calculate overtime. For medical staff, this app could keep complete and accurate records of work hours in real time, reduce bias, and allow for better complying with labor regulations.http://mhealth.jmir.org/2020/2/e16063/ |
| spellingShingle | Chiang, Ting-Wei Chen, Si-Yu Pan, Yuan-Chien Lin, Yu-Hsuan Automatic Work-Hours Recorder for Medical Staff (Staff Hours): Mobile App Development JMIR mHealth and uHealth |
| title | Automatic Work-Hours Recorder for Medical Staff (Staff Hours): Mobile App Development |
| title_full | Automatic Work-Hours Recorder for Medical Staff (Staff Hours): Mobile App Development |
| title_fullStr | Automatic Work-Hours Recorder for Medical Staff (Staff Hours): Mobile App Development |
| title_full_unstemmed | Automatic Work-Hours Recorder for Medical Staff (Staff Hours): Mobile App Development |
| title_short | Automatic Work-Hours Recorder for Medical Staff (Staff Hours): Mobile App Development |
| title_sort | automatic work hours recorder for medical staff staff hours mobile app development |
| url | http://mhealth.jmir.org/2020/2/e16063/ |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT chiangtingwei automaticworkhoursrecorderformedicalstaffstaffhoursmobileappdevelopment AT chensiyu automaticworkhoursrecorderformedicalstaffstaffhoursmobileappdevelopment AT panyuanchien automaticworkhoursrecorderformedicalstaffstaffhoursmobileappdevelopment AT linyuhsuan automaticworkhoursrecorderformedicalstaffstaffhoursmobileappdevelopment |