Hold the Phone! Perioperative Personal Electronic Devices

AbstractPurpose of ReviewThe purpose of this review is to illustrate the use of personal electronic devices among health care practitioners in the perioperative environment. It highlights the benefits of these devices as well as the potential risks to patient care.Recent FindingsPersonal electronic devices like smartphones have become ubiquitous in day-to-day life, and their utility has become indispensable to many industries. Within health care, they show promise to improve provider knowledge, communication, and adherence to best practices. Targeted applications for these devices demonstrate endless capacity for adaptation to specific provider and patient care needs. However, personal electronic devices pose the potential for distraction, contamination, and breaches of patient confidentiality within the operating room environment.SummaryPersonal electronic devices have the potential to improve health care provider efficiency, care coordination, and task management; however, this is not without risk. Ultimately, the effect of the presence of these devices in the operating room on patient outcomes remains to be seen.
Source: Current Anesthesiology Reports - Category: Anesthesiology Source Type: research