In the era of BYOD, the healthcare staff’s smartphone is a valuable tool, but how can we limit digital distraction to guarantee optimal patient care?

Smartphones in healthcare: should they be allowed?

“Distractions of any kind can act as a culprit for serious medical errors and injuries among patients. Nurses who are using their personal devices for non-work-related reasons such as texting, social media, and connections with others outside of work while on the clock are allowing an arena for errors to occur due to decreased attention levels.”
Amy White (RN-MSN – Chief Nursing Officer)

Mobile devices in the workplace: professionalism and patient care

“The integration of smartphones and tablets into everyday provision of care has many benefits for patients but can cause distraction that may negatively impact both your ability to provide care and patient safety.”
Canadian Nurses Protective Society

Are cell phones helping or harming your patients?

“There are several reasons why nurses should refrain from using their personal mobile devices at work, and nurse distraction is at the top of the list. Many studies have shown that distractions of any kind can be the catalyst for major errors and injuries. Constantly being connected with issues outside of work while on duty, whether through text or perusing social media, causes the nurse’s attention to be everywhere but on their patients.”
Registered Nursing.org

Digital distraction among caregivers is mainly generated by several factors linked to the use of smartphones and other connected tools in their work environment

  • Constant notifications and requests: calls, messages, emails, social networks and personal applications that disrupt concentration during care or critical tasks.
  • Non-professional applications: browsing social networks, games, streaming or personal messaging during slow times.
  • Multiplication of digital tools: obligation to juggle electronic medical records, secure messaging and other business applications.
  • Cognitive fatigue and information overload: too much information to process in real time, which reduces concentration.
  • Confusion between personal and professional use: lack of a clear framework on the use of smartphones in hospitals.

Effective BYOD management and clear policies can limit these distractions and improve the quality of care.

Knock In VIP Messenger, a good starting point?

  • Advanced notification filtering: Allows you to receive only priority alerts, reducing unnecessary interruptions.
  • Smart silent mode: blocks distractions while allowing important messages.
  • Personalization of VIP contacts: allows caregivers to only receive messages from colleagues, patients or essential services.

Integration with Android Enterprise will improve security and reduce distractions

  • Management via MDM (Mobile Device Management): Android Enterprise allows communications to be encrypted and strict security policies to be applied.
  • Permission control: IT administrators can restrict access to certain sensitive data and ensure that the application complies with confidentiality standards (GDPR, HIPAA).
  • Business/Personal Partitioning: Android Enterprise separates work apps from personal apps, reducing distractions.
  • Interoperability: Knock In VIP Messenger could be configured to collect professional information (secure messaging, Electronic Patient File).
  • Centralized configuration: Hospital IT can pre-configure the application to filter only critical notifications (e.g. medical alerts, emergencies).
  • Blocking distractions: Via Android Enterprise, you can restrict access to certain apps based on time or location (e.g. operating room, patient room).

How Knock In VIP Messenger works with Android Enterprise

Generally configured and enabled via an MDM, the Android Enterprise environments allows to identify employees’ smartphone and create a container dedicated to professional data and applications

Technical option 1

Personal Area (Knock In VIP Messenger):

  • Selection of private VIP contacts
  • Filtering notifications from interpersonal communication apps
  • Blocking access to social networks and silencing notifications
  • Recovery of daily work schedule

Professional Area (Work Schedule):

  • Recovery of daily work schedule from the Healthcare facility’s GTA (“Gestion des Temps et des Activités”) application

Technical option 2

Personal Area (Knock In VIP Messenger):

  • Selection of private VIP contacts
  • Filtering notifications from interpersonal communication apps
  • Blocking access to social networks and silencing notifications
  • Recovery of daily work schedule from the Healthcare facility’s GTA (“Gestion des Temps et des Activités”) server