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OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT07449533

Smartphone Use in Healthcare Settings Among Nurses

This study assessed patterns of smartphone use among nurses and evaluated its impact on clinical performance and patient safety in healthcare settings in Egypt, using a convergent mixed-methods design. A cross-sectional survey was conducted between October 2025 and February 2026 across diverse clinical settings at Alexandria University Hospitals, including critical and emergency care, medical-surgical wards, operating theaters, outpatient clinics, home care services, and psychiatric support units. Of 900 nurses invited, 368 completed the online questionnaire via Google Forms (response rate: 40.9%). Quantitative data assessed nurses' patterns of smartphone use and its impact on patient care using an adapted validated scale. Qualitative data were collected through two open-ended narrative questions exploring smartphone-related clinical incidents and recommendations for safe use. A total of 105 clinical incidents attributed to smartphone distraction were identified and categorized into four themes, while 176 respondents provided actionable recommendations categorized into five strategic pillars for safe clinical integration.

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Key information

Conditions

Patient Safety Clinical Communication Medical Errors Mobile Applications Nursing Care

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

Faculty of Nursing, Alexandria University

Alexandria, 21511, Egypt

About this study

This study employs a prospective observational design to investigate the integration of smartphone technology in nursing workflows and its direct implications for patient safety. As healthcare environments become increasingly fast-paced, the reliance on instant messaging (e.g., WhatsApp, specialized hospital apps) for clinical communication has grown.

The research focuses on several key dimensions:

Communication Efficiency: Assessing how instant messages facilitate rapid clinical decision-making and "instant action" compared to traditional communication methods.

  • An online self-administered questionnaire will be used for the quantitative part; it will be shared with participants through their personal WhatsApp number after meeting them and getting their approval to participate in the study.
  • Semi-structured interviews will be used to collect data for the qualitative part; interviews will be conducted in the Arabic language, either face-to-face or online through the MS Teams platform (synchronous/asynchronous) mode for easy contact with participants

Patient Safety Outcomes: Monitoring the reporting of critical lab values, medication clarifications, and urgent patient status changes through digital messages.

Workflow Integration: Identifying how nurses prioritize urgent clinical messages amidst their daily responsibilities.

Data collection involves a mixed-methods approach, including the analysis of communication patterns and clinical outcome indicators. The study aims to provide evidence-based insights into how smartphone use can be standardized to minimize risks and maximize the speed of life-saving interventions in hospital settings.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

Device Usage: Must actively use a personal communication device (smartphone or tablet) during working hours for either personal or professional purposes.

Work Setting: Must be assigned to in-patient care units where direct patient monitoring and interaction occur.

Exclusion criteria

  • Nurses on leave or those who declined to participate

Treatment and study plan

Assessment of Personal Communication Device Usage Patterns.

Behavioral

Participants will complete surveys and participate in interviews to assess their patterns of using personal communication devices during work hours. The intervention focuses on identifying frequency, duration, and clinical vs. personal use, as well as evaluating the perceived and actual impact of these behaviors on in-patient care quality and patient safety incidents.

368 nurses from Govermental Hospitals across medical-surgical, critical care, emergency, operating theater, outpatient, home care, and psychiatric settings

Primary outcomes

  1. Patterns of Personal Communication Device usage.

    Time frame: October 2025 and February 2026

    Evaluation of how frequently and for what duration nurses use their personal devices for both professional and personal purposes during shift hours, measured via a structured survey.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Impact of Personal Communication Device Use on In-patient Care Indicators

    Time frame: October 2025 and February 2026

    Assessment of the correlation between device usage patterns and clinical care quality, such as nurses' responsiveness to patient needs and the frequency of reported near-misses or clinical errors related to distraction.

  2. Nurses' Perceptions and Reported Clinical Incidents.

    Time frame: October 2025 and February 2026

    Qualitative analysis of themes derived from nurses' descriptions of specific incidents and their subjective views on how smartphone messaging facilitates "instant action" or impacts patient safety.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Alexandria University

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Smartphone Use in Healthcare Settings: Nurses' Messages for Instant Action to Promote Patient Safety; A Cross-sectional Survey With Qualitative Open-ended Questions

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Mar 4, 2026
Registry last updated
Apr 22, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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