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Is smartphone a necessity or luxury among orthopedic specialty?

JPMA. The Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association · 2014 · Unclear · Low evidence

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UnclearLow evidencePaper 3021

Among 83 respondents (84.7% response rate), 70 (84.3%) owned a smartphone. Of smartphone owners, 60 (85.7%) used applications and 27 (38.6%) used smartphones to share clinical data; residents reported higher application use (p=0.010) and data sharing (p=0.028…

Study snapshot

PublicationJPMA. The Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association · 2014
Study typecross_sectional
Reported directionUnclear
Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To assess the utilisation pattern of smart phones by residents and consultants with respect to their clinical work and academics. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was carried out in orthopaedic departments of various hospitals in Karachi in July 2014. Orthopaedic residents and consultants were asked to fill a questionnaire containing various questions, including utilisation of their smart phones for professional applications, books, internet and emails; and sharing of clinical data. RESULTS: A total of 98residents and consultants were approached and 83(84.7%) of them filled up the questionnaire. Of them, 70(84.3%) owned a smart phone and represented the study sample. Of them, 60(85.7%) were using applications on their mobile phone; and 27(38.6%) were using them for sharing clinical data with colleagues. The use of smart phone applications was more among residents than consultants (p=0.010) and the same applied to data sharing (p=0.028). AO Surgery reference was the most utilised application in 43(61.4%). Besides, 46(65.7%) respondents were using smart phones to read text books; 60(85.7%) were using internet on their smart phones for browsing web pages and to check emails; and 62(88.6%) wanted to have more applications available related to orthopaedic practice. Only 1(1.4%) respondent was willing to pay for these applications. CONCLUSIONS: Majority of orthopaedic caregivers owned a smart phone, but their clinical use was limited which may be enhanced to improve patient care.

Machine Enhanced Logic

AI evidence extraction

Structured fields below were generated from the paper’s abstract and metadata to make the evidence easier to inspect. Automated extraction may be incomplete or incorrect; verify important details against the original paper.

Study typecross_sectional
Effect directionunclear
PopulationOrthopaedic residents and consultants in orthopaedic departments of various hospitals in Karachi
Sample size83
ExposureNot supplied
Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Among 83 respondents (84.7% response rate), 70 (84.3%) owned a smartphone. Of smartphone owners, 60 (85.7%) used applications and 27 (38.6%) used smartphones to share clinical data; residents reported higher application use (p=0.010) and data sharing (p=0.028) than consultants. Many used smartphones for reading textbooks (65.7%) and for internet/email (85.7%), and most wanted more orthopaedic-related apps (88.6%), while 1.4% were willing to pay for them.

Outcomes measured

  • Smartphone ownership
  • Use of smartphone applications for clinical work
  • Sharing clinical data via smartphone
  • Use of smartphone for reading textbooks
  • Use of smartphone internet/email for professional purposes
  • Interest in more orthopaedic-related applications
  • Willingness to pay for applications

Limitations

  • Cross-sectional design
  • Questionnaire/self-reported measures
  • Conducted in orthopaedic departments of various hospitals in Karachi; generalisability may be limited
  • Exposure to EMF not measured; study focuses on utilisation patterns rather than health effects
View raw extracted JSON
{
  "study_type": "cross_sectional",
  "exposure": {
    "band": null,
    "source": "smartphone",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": null
  },
  "population": "Orthopaedic residents and consultants in orthopaedic departments of various hospitals in Karachi",
  "sample_size": 83,
  "outcomes": [
    "Smartphone ownership",
    "Use of smartphone applications for clinical work",
    "Sharing clinical data via smartphone",
    "Use of smartphone for reading textbooks",
    "Use of smartphone internet/email for professional purposes",
    "Interest in more orthopaedic-related applications",
    "Willingness to pay for applications"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Among 83 respondents (84.7% response rate), 70 (84.3%) owned a smartphone. Of smartphone owners, 60 (85.7%) used applications and 27 (38.6%) used smartphones to share clinical data; residents reported higher application use (p=0.010) and data sharing (p=0.028) than consultants. Many used smartphones for reading textbooks (65.7%) and for internet/email (85.7%), and most wanted more orthopaedic-related apps (88.6%), while 1.4% were willing to pay for them.",
  "effect_direction": "unclear",
  "limitations": [
    "Cross-sectional design",
    "Questionnaire/self-reported measures",
    "Conducted in orthopaedic departments of various hospitals in Karachi; generalisability may be limited",
    "Exposure to EMF not measured; study focuses on utilisation patterns rather than health effects"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "smartphone",
    "mobile phone",
    "orthopaedics",
    "residents",
    "consultants",
    "clinical applications",
    "medical education",
    "Karachi",
    "questionnaire",
    "utilisation pattern"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": []
}
AI can be wrong. Always verify against the paper.

AI-extracted fields are generated from the abstract and metadata and may be incomplete or incorrect. This material is for informational purposes and is not medical advice.

Identifiers and source

DOI: Not supplied
PubMed: 25989775

Read the original paper →

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