Usage of smart devices amongst medical practitioners in Universitas Academic Hospital
Background: There has been a rapid rise in the use of smart devices amongst medical practitioners throughout the world. This study aimed to identify how smart devices were being used by medical practitioners at the Universitas Academic Hospital (UAH), Bloemfontein, and the associated factors thereof...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
AOSIS
2020-02-01
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| Series: | South African Family Practice |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://safpj.co.za/index.php/safpj/article/view/5029 |
| _version_ | 1818568406970925056 |
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| author | Yeyang Xu Zoë Francis Khayam Saleem Siphamandla Sambujana Keitumetse Molise Boitumelo Molise Nicholas Pearce Gina Joubert |
| author_facet | Yeyang Xu Zoë Francis Khayam Saleem Siphamandla Sambujana Keitumetse Molise Boitumelo Molise Nicholas Pearce Gina Joubert |
| author_sort | Yeyang Xu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: There has been a rapid rise in the use of smart devices amongst medical practitioners throughout the world. This study aimed to identify how smart devices were being used by medical practitioners at the Universitas Academic Hospital (UAH), Bloemfontein, and the associated factors thereof. We also identified the views of medical practitioners regarding the usage of smart devices at their workplace.
Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted. Anonymous questionnaires were distributed to medical practitioners working at UAH during weekly departmental meetings or monthly morbidity and mortality meetings. The following largest departments were included: Surgery, Anaesthetics, Paediatrics, Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, and Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
Results: The response rate was 82.7% of those attending the meetings. All the respondents owned a smart device and brought it to their workplace. The most common applications used on these smart devices were that for drug references (65.9%), medical textbooks (63.6%) and medical calculators (58.1%). Significantly larger percentages of doctors aged 21–39 years compared with those aged 40–65 years used drug reference applications and medical calculators. A quarter (24.8%) of respondents communicated with patients through a smart device, 21.7% used an online storage platform to backup patient data, whilst 56.6% used their devices to store and view patient information. More than one-third (36.7%) agreed that smart devices threatened patient confidentiality, but the majority (58.8%) did not agree that these devices hinder patient communication. The majority felt that these devices improved both personal performance (69.2%) and patient care (79.0%).
Conclusion: Smart devices usage is common in this setting. Hence, integration of such usage in medical curricula, discussion on professionalism, ethics and confidentiality in this context, and guidance from institutions and professional bodies become necessary. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-14T06:35:07Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b5947223454c4a1996453522c8ad9e18 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2078-6190 2078-6204 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-14T06:35:07Z |
| publishDate | 2020-02-01 |
| publisher | AOSIS |
| record_format | Article |
| series | South African Family Practice |
| spelling | doaj.art-b5947223454c4a1996453522c8ad9e182022-12-21T23:13:24ZengAOSISSouth African Family Practice2078-61902078-62042020-02-01621e1e710.4102/safp.v62i1.50294022Usage of smart devices amongst medical practitioners in Universitas Academic HospitalYeyang Xu0Zoë Francis1Khayam Saleem2Siphamandla Sambujana3Keitumetse Molise4Boitumelo Molise5Nicholas Pearce6Gina Joubert7Department of Surgery, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Free State, BloemfonteinDepartment of Surgery, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Free State, BloemfonteinDepartment of Surgery, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Free State, BloemfonteinDepartment of Surgery, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Free State, BloemfonteinDepartment of Surgery, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Free State, BloemfonteinDepartment of Surgery, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Free State, BloemfonteinDepartment of Surgery, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Free State, BloemfonteinDepartment of Biostatistics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Free State, BloemfonteinBackground: There has been a rapid rise in the use of smart devices amongst medical practitioners throughout the world. This study aimed to identify how smart devices were being used by medical practitioners at the Universitas Academic Hospital (UAH), Bloemfontein, and the associated factors thereof. We also identified the views of medical practitioners regarding the usage of smart devices at their workplace. Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted. Anonymous questionnaires were distributed to medical practitioners working at UAH during weekly departmental meetings or monthly morbidity and mortality meetings. The following largest departments were included: Surgery, Anaesthetics, Paediatrics, Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, and Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Results: The response rate was 82.7% of those attending the meetings. All the respondents owned a smart device and brought it to their workplace. The most common applications used on these smart devices were that for drug references (65.9%), medical textbooks (63.6%) and medical calculators (58.1%). Significantly larger percentages of doctors aged 21–39 years compared with those aged 40–65 years used drug reference applications and medical calculators. A quarter (24.8%) of respondents communicated with patients through a smart device, 21.7% used an online storage platform to backup patient data, whilst 56.6% used their devices to store and view patient information. More than one-third (36.7%) agreed that smart devices threatened patient confidentiality, but the majority (58.8%) did not agree that these devices hinder patient communication. The majority felt that these devices improved both personal performance (69.2%) and patient care (79.0%). Conclusion: Smart devices usage is common in this setting. Hence, integration of such usage in medical curricula, discussion on professionalism, ethics and confidentiality in this context, and guidance from institutions and professional bodies become necessary.https://safpj.co.za/index.php/safpj/article/view/5029smartphonesconfidentialitypatient preferenceusagemedical practitioners |
| spellingShingle | Yeyang Xu Zoë Francis Khayam Saleem Siphamandla Sambujana Keitumetse Molise Boitumelo Molise Nicholas Pearce Gina Joubert Usage of smart devices amongst medical practitioners in Universitas Academic Hospital South African Family Practice smartphones confidentiality patient preference usage medical practitioners |
| title | Usage of smart devices amongst medical practitioners in Universitas Academic Hospital |
| title_full | Usage of smart devices amongst medical practitioners in Universitas Academic Hospital |
| title_fullStr | Usage of smart devices amongst medical practitioners in Universitas Academic Hospital |
| title_full_unstemmed | Usage of smart devices amongst medical practitioners in Universitas Academic Hospital |
| title_short | Usage of smart devices amongst medical practitioners in Universitas Academic Hospital |
| title_sort | usage of smart devices amongst medical practitioners in universitas academic hospital |
| topic | smartphones confidentiality patient preference usage medical practitioners |
| url | https://safpj.co.za/index.php/safpj/article/view/5029 |
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