I n this issue Lobo et al 1 report the results of a pilot study surveying residents' use of iPads. This study of 12 residents found there was high self-reported use of the devices, with an average of 2.1 hours per day. Using their iPads, residents could access electronic health records along with a range of educational resources. Most residents perceived that iPads should be distributed to all residents and fellows, and that this would improve communication and efficiency. To put this pilot study in context, there has been a rapid uptake in the use of smartphones and tablets in medical practice: a recent survey estimates that 85% of residents have smartphones 2 and most use smartphones for clinical work. The expected benefits of using smartphones and tablets in medical practice include improved access to knowledge and patient information, and improved com-munication and documentation. The future of mobile smartphones and tablets promises to be exciting, with advances in medical functionality such as mobile ultrasound. However, it is important to pause and consider the unintended consequences of the adoption of this technol-ogy. Unintended consequences are now a well-recognized phenomenon in health care information technology imple-mentation. 3 For example, there have been multiple reports of medical errors caused by information technology, such as computerized provider order entry and clinical decision support systems. 4 For the unintended consequences of tablet and smart-phone adoption, we may consider both noneducational and educational effects. Noneducational impacts include infec-tion control issues with colonization of devices, which would likely be similar to other medical devices such as stethoscopes. Because of the increased connectivity of these devices to work colleagues as well as to residents' personal life, interruptions may increase in both realms. This may result in ''distracted doctoring'' and increased medical errors. 5 If smartphones and tablets are used to communi-cate patient information through nonsecure messaging, there are additional privacy concerns.
CITATION STYLE
Wu, R. (2013). Rise of the Cyborgs: Residents With Smartphones, iPads, and Androids. Journal of Graduate Medical Education, 5(1), 161–162. https://doi.org/10.4300/jgme-05-01-35
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