BACKGROUND
Using a personal cell phone in clinical settings by nurses is one of the emerging concerns in care delivery that can affect the quality of patients’ care.
OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to explore the experiences of nurses, patients, and patients’ relatives about using a personal cell phone by nurses.
METHODS
A qualitative inductive approach was used. This study used a purposive sampling method to interview 22 individuals, including nursing staff and patients and their relatives, at xxx Educational Hospital in XXX. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and were continued to achieve the saturation point. The conventional content analysis method was used to analyze the data.
RESULTS
Our analysis revealed three main categories of 'Emotionless care,' 'Impaired professional behavior,' and 'Neglect in care.' The main theme extracted from this study was personal cell phone is a barrier to effective nursing care.
CONCLUSIONS
The health promotion of patients might be adversely influenced when nurses use a personal cell phone at the workplace. This study found that using a personal cell phone while working could jeopardize patients’ safety and tarnish the professional image. Nurses must formulate guidelines on how to use a personal cell phone while working in clinical settings.