Student nurse using phone during procedure

Well in all the years of safeguarding (level 3) I’ve done with the nhs it’s never been mentioned. Not by my manager, the

safeguarding lead or the online e-learning. 🤷🏻‍♀️

and how do you propose a nurse records obs which is done on a work iPhone if you can’t have it out?

Because you’re not supposed to for multiple reasons. Increases the workload, increases the chances of an error when you input from a written record, increases the chances of it just not been done full stop Because you step out of the bay and someone grabs you for something else and you forget. Confidentiality is an issue as well. Do we put your name next to it or just hope we remember who it’s for.

We used to have paper notes and lockable trolleys but they’re all gone.

They probably didn't have all the observations and records online only accessible via work mobiles in the dark ages.

It’s not the dark days anymore.

Well perhaps she could write it on a small notepad ? How did nurses manage without phones in the dark days before mobile phones, pray tell?

It is a major safeguarding concern for staff to have mobile phones around children. This is general policy in schools, nurseries and hospitals. A work phone is different but she should not have it out in front of patients. I would remind you to research the national inquiries when children have been abused in hospitals , nurseries and schools and the safeguarding recommendations.

She could be keeping her log of procedures observed on her phone, as long as no patient identifiable detail included that's fine.

Obvious safeguarding issues here, as well as being very unprofessional. You absolutely should report this to the ward manager OP and highlight the possible safeguarding and confidentiality implications.

This! A student nurse should be following all rules or should be called out on it.

It’s a huge safeguarding risk to have phones being used near patients, especially children. I’ve worked in schools and nurseries, phones are not allowed in the workplace at all!

This comment made me chuckle.
The answer to that is probably they change in a toilet and hangs their stuff behind a door somewhere. If lucky enough there may be locked staff room / locker to leave belongings in but its not a given considering the limited space issues for staff most hospitals have.

With this “you are wrong” approach l hope you never serve on a jury.

Beyond the issue that she looked at her phone briefly and put it away again nothing more appears to be known for certain. The wider issue is what harm was caused by this action?

I have type 1 diabetes and need to check my phone to see my blood sugar numbers - so could just have been something like this?

I think there's a few HCPs on this thread who last worked with paper records, or laptop computers on trolleys that they dragged around the wards. It's clear things are changing and smartphones are becoming the new normal.

It's funny - there was another thread recently where the strong majority view was that it was unreasonable for a manager to pull a subordinate up for being on their personal phone in a meeting. The consensus was very much that in this day and age it's unreasonable to totally separate work and home life, everybody does it, there should have been more trust, what if it was their kid's school trying to get in touch, and 'if my manager did that I'd walk out and get another job'. Yet here the consensus is totally the other way and I don't really see why. Yes if the nurse whipped out her mobile to start playing online slots at a critical juncture of an operation then fair enough, a bollocking is due. But given we don't know why they were looking at their phone and they weren't doing anything of earth-shattering importance, I'd let it slide - to deliberately get them in trouble just seems mean.

You’re wrong there. To give medication, take bloods, take a swab, do bp and obs I need my work phone as you scan the patient’s qr code and then you can give whatever medication you need. I can’t do my job without an iPhone. It’s a work issued iPhone but it’s still a phone!!

@BoysNameHelpno one gets a locker on my ward! We haven’t got an office or staff room either!

What, apart from the dozens of times per shift I use a ward phone to input patient observations? The software also has different coloured clocks for patients on so she could potentially have been having a quick check to see if observations were due /over due.

ultimately the OP doesn’t know, the thing to do would have been to mention it at the time. Then she could either have been reassured it was legitimate or the students supervisor could have talked to the student about not using her phone for none work reasons at a bedside.

I’m sure they’d all love to be given a specific work phone in order to help them do their jobs but instead we have to use our own phones for stuff like calculations, Google translate. Students have their epads (placement documentation) on their phones so she could have been looking up a proficiency on it though I agree she shouldn’t have done it at the bedside.

the only thing the hospital provide are special iPhones and iPads which have all functionality removed and special observation software installed. So all patient obs are inputted on these. We have posters up around the ward saying “I’m not on my phone, I’m inputting clinical observations “ as they look just like an iPhone. In our department all notes are now electronic so are inputted either via an iPad or computer. Maybe some places have their ward iPhones also set up for notes as well as observations?

No. They do not do this "all the time" although under some very exceptional circumstances they might occasionally, and this is not one of those circumstances.

You are wrong. No further discussion needed.

Nurses use phones on wards for medical reasons all the time.

The fact she entered or looked at something and quickly out the phone away does not prove she was in the wrong.

Absolutely agree

Completely unacceptable for several reasons.

Privacy of patients, distraction from duties plus ALL mobile phones are filthy and dirty and well known for carrying bacteria and the risk of cross contamination is huge.

Report her.

I've had this at work today!!! It's not a phone its a handheld tablet to record results or care needs😕