TY  - JOUR
AU  - Lee, Mauricette
AU  - Bin Mahmood, Abu Bakar Shakran
AU  - Lee, Eng Sing
AU  - Smith, Helen Elizabeth
AU  - Tudor Car, Lorainne
PY  - 2023
DA  - 2023/3/31
TI  - Smartphone and Mobile App Use Among Physicians in Clinical Practice: Scoping Review
JO  - JMIR Mhealth Uhealth
SP  - e44765
VL  - 11
KW  - evidence-based medicine
KW  - specialist
KW  - general practitioners
KW  - GP
KW  - primary care physicians
KW  - mobile apps
KW  - consultants
KW  - surgeons
KW  - pediatricians
KW  - clinical care
KW  - mobile phone
AB  - Background: Health care professionals are increasingly using smartphones in clinical care. Smartphone use can affect patient quality of care and clinical outcomes. Objective: This scoping review aimed to describe how physicians use smartphones and mobile apps in clinical settings. Methods: We conducted a scoping review using the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and reported the results according to PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews) guidelines. We used the following databases in our literature search: MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and gray literature for studies published since 2010. An additional search was also performed by scanning the reference lists of included studies. A narrative synthesis approach was used. Results: A total of 10 studies, published between 2016 and 2021, were included in this review. Of these studies, 8 used surveys and 2 used surveys with focus group study designs to explore smartphone use, its adoption, experience of using it, and views on the use of smartphones among physicians. There were studies with only general practitioners (n=3), studies with only specialists (n=3), and studies with both general practitioners and specialists (n=4). Physicians use smartphones and mobile apps for communication (n=9), clinical decision-making (n=7), drug compendium (n=7), medical education and training (n=7), maintaining health records (n=4), managing time (n=4), and monitoring patients (n=2) in clinical practice. The Medscape medical app was frequently used for information gathering. WhatsApp, a nonmedical app, was commonly used for physician-patient communication. The commonly reported barriers were lack of regulatory oversight, privacy concerns, and limited Wi-Fi or internet access. The commonly reported facilitator was convenience and having access to evidence-based medicine, clinical decision-making support, and a wide array of apps. Conclusions: Smartphones and mobile apps were used for communication, medical education and training, clinical decision-making, and drug compendia in most studies. Although the benefits of smartphones and mobile apps for physicians at work were promising, there were concerns about patient privacy and confidentiality. Legislation is urgently needed to protect the liability of health care professionals using smartphones. 
SN  - 2291-5222
UR  - https://mhealth.jmir.org/2023/1/e44765
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/44765
UR  - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37000498
DO  - 10.2196/44765
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/44765
ER  -