Status quo and analysis of the use of smartphone APP in medical staffs

Abstract

Objective To explore the current installation and use of smartphone APP in medical workers and to provide a basis for the proper use of smartphones for mobile learning and developing APPs for medical workers. Methods Totally 529 medical staffs were selected from two ClassⅢ hospitals in Beijing by simple random sampling from June to September 2018. These subjects were investigated with the self-designed questionnaire, which mainly included basic information, overall use of smartphone APP, use of various smartphone APPs, and conditions that a good APP should have. All the questionnaires were filled out by the subjects themselves. Results Totally 76.9% question naires were distributed, and 503 valid ones were collected. Totally 76.9% (387/503) of the medical workers used smartphones for 2 years, among whom 84.4% (425/503) had at least 6 APPs installed on their smartphones. The top 3 kinds of APPs were communication and information (98.6%, 496/503) , document readers (93.2%, 454/503) , and medicine-associated APPs (90.3%, 454/503) . Totally 22.9% (115/503) of the medical workers used APPs for 120 mins accumulatively every day, mostly when waiting for the bus, taking the bus, waiting for someone, or there was a difficult question that needed them to find some information. Conclusions Medical workers have made smartphone APPs a necessary tool for their work and life, especially in communication, learning and improving working efficiency. More APPs that are suitable for medical workers may be developed in the future, so they can improve the capability and efficiency of medical and nursing work by mobile micro-learning and micro-office. Key words: Medical staffs; Smartphone APP; Status quo