Should nurses be allowed to have personal cell phones while working? Should personal cells phones be banned in the hospital for nurses (and other staff)?
I see a LOT of nurses, physicians, and other staff members at the hospital with their personal cell phones while on duty. Some are texting (ok, many are texting), some on Facebook, others....?? who knows what.
Our hospital's official stance is no personal cell phones allowed while in the workplace. Of course, if you are on your break, it's not a problem.
Do different rules apply for different employees? Technically, the physicians are not employees, and tend to use their cell phones for work related phone calls. Nurses are supplied with hospital cell phones for use for hospital only phone calls.
Here is just one thread on allnurses.com about texting while at work.
Thought? Comment?
24 comments:
I will always have my cell on me and even as a student I always do. It's how people reach me 100% of the time and I need to be reachable if it pertains to one of my kids.
That said I find it incredibly inappropriate for people to be texting or facebooking while on the clock. My phone is always on vibrate and 2 vibrations is a text, multiple is a phone call. I will always check the # if I feel a call just to be sure it's not something I absolutely need to answer.
I see a lot of docs looking up drugs and dosages on their phones too.
As a patient I don't see an issue with medical personnel having their personal cell phones while at work. I get mine at the office, why shouldn't they? That said, of course standard protocols (never in front of patients, only on breaks except for official business, etc.) should apply across the board for contracted physicians as well as hospital employees.
And as a parent, you can bet your bottom dollar I want a personal cell phone on me in case an emergency happens with my kids. I've seen a past workplace and my sons' school totally hose trying to contact me when my elder son was sick, and if I'd had a cell phone back at that time the entire issue would have been avoided.
So yeah, cell phones + common courtesy and sense = good. Of course, common sense just isn't that common which is why you get workplaces banning phones (idiots abound)
Ideally, the workers -- whoever they are (not just nurses, but this applies to all jobs) -- would be *working* while they're at their jobs and/or on the clock. If the management of a company has to institute a "no cell phone" policy, that's indicative of people abusing their personal cell phone use. So, management shouldn't make the rule, but they shouldn't have to make the rule either.
My sister says that one of her co-workers (at a pharmacy) spends a lot of time on her cell phone, talking, texting, and getting on-line -- even doing that when customers are needing to be waited on. That is unconscionable to me. I can see if there is down-time during the day, that you can then text or surf, rather than twiddle your thumbs or watch TV. But to do that rather than wait on the people who indirectly pay your salary?? Not good!
-Kathy
I keep my cell phone on me, have it on "vibe", and always let calls pass to voicemail then return the call when I can excuse myself to the break room. I use my phone's timer function for breaks and things like titrating drips (like IVIG that needs to be bumped up every 30 min.), the calculator, Epocrates (med look-up), and when I'm in the dictation room charting I turn on Pandora to a soothing station and listen to music. But I do NOT text or go on social networking sites or talk in the open while on the clock. I have people at my work who do, though, and it bothers me.
I think if employees are behaving appropriately, a no-personal-cellphone policy probably does more harm than good to patient care.
Texting "buy milk" (or other similar, short messages that are are checking off to-do lists rather than entertainment) during a slow period seems acceptable use. But checking facebook when things are busy is a different story.
When my son was in the NICU for a month, the one nurse my husband and I both agreed we didn't like was the only one who had a personal phone on her. We would be there between 2 and 6 hours a day, and even in the shortest times, her phone would go off loudly at least once, if not twice. She seemed to be the one who wanted to have the least to do with us, never answered our questions fully, and made us feel like we were inconviencing her for asking about our son's care. Coincidence? I don't know. But all the other nurses were wonderful at involving us in his care and encouraging us through that very tough time.
As an aside, how do you address the fact that cell phones are very unclean things in a hospital environment?
I'm with most everyone else; I think when they become a distraction, then they're a problem, but they're also becoming a resource too significant to outright ban without discussion. I in particular am rather attached to my iPhone; even as a pre-nursing student I use it constantly as a resource and a utility and I don't see that changing with my entry into nursing school and nursing practice.
I'm not sure about other phones, in regards to the uncleanliness issue, but part of what I love about the iPhone is its simple construction - it stands up very well to my daily (or more) wiping it with standard Lysol wipes, because it does gross me out how much 'stuff' gets on my phone in the course of a day.
I 100% believe all medical staff should not be allowed to carry their personal cell phones in patient care areas. period
I'm a nurse in a mental hospital. I now have 46 kids age 5-17. Our policy says NO CELL PHONES but honestly those mentally unstable little darlings have forced me to call a code from my personal phone more than once and I've never been punished for it. For me it's a safety issue. Not too sure how that would work anywhere else. :)
I work in a homeless shelter with a no cell phones policy...
That being said, my phone rang while I was walking into the hospital to visit my mom the other day. The aid at the front jumped all over telling me to turn it off and wouldn't let me into the ER till I did it. Maybe it's a Canada thing, but we still have GIANT posters everywhere telling us not to use cell phones or else. If I saw any of the staff using a cell phone I'd be pissed, but only cause I couldn't use mine.
As a social worker, I don't use my phone with clients or in front of clients, I think that's professional. If it's a huge emergency with my family, they know where I can work and can phone our receptionist who can find me. I would expect nurses, doctors, anyone to have the same professional courtesy I extend to those I work with.
I'm an employed doc. I don't carry a pager anymore, just my cell (which is not a smartphone). I have different rings for different people. I (or my nurse )ALWAYS answer L&D's calls.
If I'm running late to the office because of a delivery, I'll text my nurse an ETA.
As a patient in Southern Ontario (where no one is supposed to use cell phones in the hospital), it's pretty frustrating to see doctors and nurses using theirs, while I have to leave the hospital to let my husband know what's up with whatever child is in that day.
At least put it on vibrate, the same as you would do in any other workplace.
If your hospital bans it for patients, it should also be banned for all staff. Period. No exceptions. That includes docs. If patients are allowed a personal cell, then it should be allowed for staff as long as they don't abuse it.
Oh, and any staff not willing to use a WRITTEN protocol for infection prevention for every single patient, every single time, should have the cell privilege (and several other things) revoked until they comply.
In any case, for anyone carrying a cell in the hospital, ringers should be banned in public areas. Break rooms (for staff) or private rooms (for a patient) are the only place you should have a cell on ring.
Texting or surfing while on the clock is stealing. There are always a million things that can be done, but accepting a paycheck when you haven't done what you agreed to do in your job description is immoral - plain and simple.
I have kids, and I totally get having your cell phone with you and on just in case of emergencies. It's a great convenience of our modern age that we can be reached at any time when our kids need us. However, people need to have self control and NOT pick up unless it is their kid's school or their kids. (And kids need to be taught to only call for an emergency when mom is at work - not to ask about dinner or complain about their little brother.)
I think some people are addicted to texting, facebook, and e-mail. They've got to learn some self control and responsibility.
So, I vote "yes" to having personal cell phones - but if they violate policy by taking personal calls or texting they should be reprimanded.
Geesh... it sounds like I am talking about children rather than working adults. Sad!
I personally don't carry my cell with me at work. If someone needs to reach me for an emergency, they know I'm at the hospital and they will call there. It absolutely drives me insane the number of nurses/tech/secs that are on their phones at work. On break, that's just fine, but I think it's inappropriate at the nurses station or to carry them around.
Yeah -- why is it that many hospitals say "no cell phones," and don't allow patients and/or visitors to have them, but allow doctors, nurses, and other staff to?
I always assumed that the cell phone ban was due to sensitive equipment that could be upset or set off by cell phones somehow (sort of like pacemakers and microwaves), but if hospital staff can have them w/o incident, why not patients and family?
My SIL's anesthesiologist took a cell call from his wife during SIL's c-section. He gave SIL an overdose of meds while on the phone. SIL spent the next three days in the ICU. If I ever go through and operation or procedure I will be sure to insist that the doctors, nurses, etc, do not take out their phones! I doubt I would have realized the danger if not for SIL's situation.
Besides, it's absolutly disrespectful to the patient & family to pull out a cell phone when you should be focused on the patient.
Cell phones should not be permitted for personal use -- except in break areas (obviously). BUT...those of us who have smart phones should be allowed to use them to access medical programs. There is a huge difference between the two.
I am an employed phsyician (not by the hospital exactly, but by the hospital system) and I carry my peronsal cell most of the time. It has my drug software, and my delivery/pregnant patient database for one thing. Also, I have 3 children still at home and in school and need to be reachable, and having 1 number to list is easier than listing the hospital, my pager, my office, the nursing homes, etc, all the places I might be.
In the office, I leave it outside the examining room, though. My phone has different rings for each kid and my husband, so I can hear it and answer it when I'm between patients. I do admit to answering non-emergency calls from my kids during the day between patients - I'm the only mother they've got and I work over 60 hours a week, sometimes they need something - but they know that daytime phone calls need to be very brief question/answer type, not tell mom about your day stuff. I never answer the phone in front of a patient, although occasionally I pull it out to check a drug dose or something, but then I share that with the patient, most of whom are grateful I'm taking the time to look something up!
I'd never carry or answer my phone during a procedure, an actual patient examination, or a delivery or something. In the hospital, I only answer it if I'm doing something not directly with a patient, like charting or something - often while I'm rounding in the morning, my office needs to check in for something about my day, or a patient who needs advice or something.
I think cell phones are a tool like any other, they can certainly be abused, but they can also be useful. Better to have a realistic use policy than an outright ban under all circumstances.
I wouldn't feel as strongly about carrying my phone if I worked in one place all day - if a family member could just call my unit to reach me, I wouldn't need another method, but during the day I might be at the hospital, then the office, then back to the hospital, then to a house call, and it's not always predictable.
Infection control is important, too - my cell phone gets wiped several times a day, inside the protective cover as well, even though it's rarely even in a patient care area where it could come into contact with something and I'm a hand washing nut, before and after every single contact.
As a patient, I think that a cell phone in hospital = MRSA surfboard.
I do not think hospital staff should have their personal cell phones with them. If they have work phones (I see nurses with them all the time), then hopefully they can have one advanced enough to look up work related information (drugs, treatment, etc). I know that's a long shot for a majority of places. As for being available for emergency calls, workers should have a direct number that they can be contacted at (like a nursing station) and used for emergencies only. I want people who are taking care of me to be focused on me and not concerned about what's going on with texts or facebook or whatever.
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I have not read all comments yet, but wanted to say something, with out influence. I do not think staff should use cell phones when on duty. I am currently in nursing school & we see it all the time. I think they are distracting at the nurses station. That being said, I do miss not have my phone with me, LOL! If there is an emergency, all my family needs to do is call the unit & I can be reached. Now I will read further comments.
Obviously hospital staff shouldn't be using their cell phones while in the presence of patients. It's incredibly tacky; when you're with a patient THEY are the priority. Any healthcare professional who answers a call (personal or otherwise)or text in a patient's room is a dope and should be reported to whomever (I've seen residents answer calls DURING vaginal exams. I wish I was kidding about that.)
I have all my nursing references in my phone, too, so I always have it and I ignore the "no cell phone on your person" policy for this reason. It's set to "silent". I don't really want to hear from anyone that they "need" their cell phones because they have kids. Parents have been informed of emergency situations involving their kids since Alexander Graham Bell invented the phone: they can call you on your hospital unit. Trust me on this. It's how your parents were notified, and their parents before them.
Because hospitals cannot make different rules for different cell phone models (Smartphone vs cell phone) and such a high percentage of cell phones ARE smartphones (and require internet access to operate, to!) there can be no blanket banning of cell phones by staff. BUT there should absolutely be rules about phone calls during work hours. Texting I honestly don't care about all that much.
Of course, whether I'm texting, reading The Times, eating a candybar, calling a report or writing progress notes when a patient's family member approaches me with a question, they WILL perceive that I'm not "doing my job" which to them means taking care of them and them alone so what's the difference?
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