The pros and cons of smartphones in the operating room

Although smartphones can be a major asset in the operating room for doctors and nurses to look up information quickly, they can also distract clinicians, according to The Atlantic. There are no universal regulations in place for smartphone use in healthcare settings, but the devices have caused problems in the past, such as in 2011, when a patient died during surgery when an anesthesiologist, who was using a phone, failed to notice dropping oxygen levels. Many providers have implemented system-wide rules on phone use, such as the University of Rochester Medical Center, which requires staff to silence their phones when with patients and prohibits using devices at clinical work stations or in operating rooms. Read the full story at FierceMobileHealthcare