Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Springer Nature - PMC COVID-19 Collection logoLink to Springer Nature - PMC COVID-19 Collection
. 2021 Mar 22;92(5-6):177–181. doi: 10.1007/s13126-020-0571-6

The Surgeon and the Smartphone — is the Association Really Smart?

Amit Gupta 1, Jaine John Chennatt 1,✉, Tanuj Singla 1, Geetha Sindhuri Barabari 1
PMCID: PMC7982306  PMID: 33776077

Abstract

The aim of this literature review is to encompass the importance of integrating smartphones in the life of a surgeon especially in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the progression of technology, telesurgery, remote pre and postoperative care, smartphone-assisted intraoperative navigation and transcontinental education can be made a reality. Nonetheless, rates of nosocomial infections have been raised and the increased use of a smartphone can compound this issue. Similarly, there is a greater potential for operator distraction, medical equipment interference and increased radiation exposure for the user. All the above create a new set of problems for the surgeon. We hereby attempt a review of the advantages and harmful effects from the usage of smartphones.

Key words: Surgeon; smartphone; intraoperative, mobile Health; telemedicine; health care-associated infections

Ethical Approval

All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh does not require ethical approval for reporting review articles.

Footnotes

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

References

  • 1.Mohan AT, Branford OA. iGuide to plastic surgery: iPhone apps, the plastic surgeon, and the health care environment. Aesthet Surg J. 2012;32:653–8. doi: 10.1177/1090820X12448815. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 2.Panigrahi SK, Pathak VK, Kumar MM, et al. Covid-19 and mobile phone hygiene in healthcare settings. BMJ Glob Health [Internet]. 2020 Apr 22 [cited 2020 Aug 19];5. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7204931/ [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed]
  • 3.Schnall R, Rojas M, Bakken S, et al. A user-centered model for designing consumer mobile health (mHealth) applications (apps) J Biomed Inform. 2016;60:243–51. doi: 10.1016/j.jbi.2016.02.002. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 4.WHO Group Consultation on Health Telematics. 1997: Geneva S. A health telematics policy in support of WHO’s Health-for-all strategy for global health development: Report of the WHO Group Consultation on Health Telematics, 11–16 December, Geneva, 1997. 1998 [cited 2020 Aug 19]; Available from: https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/63857
  • 5.Avgousti S, Christoforou EG, Panayides AS, et al. Medical telerobotic systems: Current status and future trends. Biomed Eng OnLine. 2016;15:96. doi: 10.1186/s12938-016-0217-7. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 6.Butner SE, Ghodoussi M. Transforming a surgical robot for human telesurgery. IEEE Trans Robot Autom. 2003;19:818–24. doi: 10.1109/TRA.2003.817214. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 7.Partho P Sengupta, Nupoor Narula, Karen Modesto, et al. Feasibility of intercity and trans-Atlantic telerobotic remote ultrasound: Assessment facilitated by a nondedicated bandwidth connection — PubMed [Internet]. 2014[cited 2020 Nov 8]. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25124012/ [DOI] [PubMed]
  • 8.Aracil R, Buss M, Cobos S, et al. The human role in telerobotics. In: Ferre M, Buss M, Aracil R, Melchiorri C, Balaguer C, et al., editors. Advances in Telerobotics. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg; 2007. [Google Scholar]
  • 9.Ho DK. Using smartphone-delivered stereoscopic vision in microsurgery: a feasibility study. Eye. 2019;33:953–6. doi: 10.1038/s41433-019-0356-8. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 10.Ereso AQ, Garcia P, Tseng E, et al. Usability of robotic platforms for remote surgical teleproctoring ∣ Telemedicine and e-Health [Internet]. 2009[cited 2020 Nov 8]. Available from: 10.1089/tmj.2008.0164 [DOI] [PubMed]
  • 11.Choudhri AF, Carr TM, Ho CP, et al. Handheld device review of abdominal CT for the evaluation of acute appendicitis. J Digit Imaging. 2012;25:492–6. doi: 10.1007/s10278-011-9431-9. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 12.Engel H, Huang JJ, Tsao CK, et al. Remote real-time monitoring of free flaps via smartphone photography and 3G wireless internet: A prospective study evidencing diagnostic accuracy. Microsurgery. 2011;31:589–95. doi: 10.1002/micr.20921. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 13.Martínez-Ramos C, Cerdán MT, López RS. Mobile phone-based telemedicine system for the home follow-up of patients undergoing ambulatory surgery. Telemed J E-Health Off J Am Telemed Assoc. 2009;15:531–7. doi: 10.1089/tmj.2009.0003. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 14.Holger Engel, Jung Ju Huang, Chung Kan Tsao, et al. Remote real-time monitoring of free flaps via smartphone photography and 3G wireless Internet: A prospective study evidencing diagnostic accuracy — PubMed [Internet]. 2011[cited 2020 Aug 19]. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22072583/ [DOI] [PubMed]
  • 15.eSanjeevaniOPD -SAFE HOME OPD National Teleconsultation Service-MoHFW [Internet]. [cited 2020 Sep 7]. Available from: https://esanjeevaniopd.in/
  • 16.Salibian A, Scholz T. Smartphones in Surgery. J Healthc Eng. 2011;2:473–86. doi: 10.1260/2040-2295.2.4.473. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 17.O’Connor C, Friedrich JO, Scales DC, et al. The use of wireless e-mail to improve healthcare team communication. J Am Med Inform Assoc JAMIA. 2009;16:705–13. doi: 10.1197/jamia.M2299. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 18.Rassweiler JJ, Müller M, Fangerau M, et al. iPad-assisted percutaneous access to the kidney using marker-based navigation: Initial clinical experience. Eur Urol. 2012;6:628–31. doi: 10.1016/j.eururo.2011.12.024. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 19.Eguchi T, Takasuna K, Kitazawa A, et al. Three-dimensional imaging navigation during a lung segmentectomy using an iPad. Eur J Cardio-Thorac Surg Off J Eur Assoc Cardio-Thorac Surg. 2012;41:893–7. doi: 10.1093/ejcts/ezr127. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 20.Kailas A, Chong C, Watanabe F. From mobile phones to personal wellness dashboards. IEEE Pulse. 2010;1:57–63. doi: 10.1109/MPUL.2010.937244. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 21.Foong YC, Green M, Zargari A, et al. Mobile phones as a potential vehicle of infection in a hospital setting. J Occup Environ Hyg. 2015;12:D232–5. doi: 10.1080/15459624.2015.1060330. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 22.Bragazzi NL, Del Puente G. A proposal for including nomophobia in the new DSM-V. Psychol Res Behav Manag. 2014;7:155–60. doi: 10.2147/PRBM.S41386. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 23.Gill PS, Kamath A, Gill TS. Distraction: An assessment of smartphone usage in health care work settings. Risk Manag Healthc Policy. 2012;5:105–14. doi: 10.2147/RMHP.S34813. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 24.Poldrack RA, Foerde K. Category learning and the memory systems debate. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2008;32:197–205. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2007.07.007. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 25.Attri J, Khetarpal R, Chatrath V, et al. Concerns about usage of smartphones in operating room and critical care scenario. Saudi J Anaesth. 2016;10:87–94. doi: 10.4103/1658-354X.169483. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 26.Irnich WE, Tobisch R. Mobile phones in hospitals. Biomed Instrum Technol. 1999;33:28–34. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 27.Tri JL, Hayes D, Smith TT, et al. Cellular phone interference with external cardiopulmonary monitoring devices. Mayo Clin Proc. 2001;76:11–5. doi: 10.4065/76.1.11. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 28.Moradi M, Naghdi N, Hemmati H, et al. Effect of ultra high frequency mobile phone radiation on human health. Electron Physician. 2016;8:2452–7. doi: 10.19082/2542. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 29.IARC Working Group on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans Non-ionizing radiation, Part 2: Radiofrequency electromagnetic fields. IARC Monogr Eval Carcinog Risks Hum. 2013;102(Pt2):1–460. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 30.Miller AB, Sears ME, Morgan LL, et al. Risks to health and well-being from radio-frequency radiation emitted by cell phones and other wireless devices. Front Public Health [Internet] 2019 [cited 2020 Sep 2];7. Available from: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2019.00223/full [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed]
  • 31.Hansraj KK. Assessment of stresses in the cervical spine caused by posture and position of the head. Surg Technol Int. 2014;25:277–9. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 32.Cuéllar JM, Lanman TH. “Text neck”: An epidemic of the modern era of cell phones? Spine J. 2017;17:901–2. doi: 10.1016/j.spinee.2017.03.009. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 33.Yuan B, Li J. The policy effect of the general data protection regulation (GDPR) on the digital public health sector in the european union: An Empirical Investigation. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019;16:1070. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16061070. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Hellenike Cheirourgike. Acta Chirurgica Hellenica are provided here courtesy of Nature Publishing Group

RESOURCES