Chicago Accident and Injury Lawyer Blog

As Chicago medical malpractice and injury attorneys, our Chicago Accident and Injury Lawyer Blog often discusses the dangers of using cell phones and smartphones while driving. However, we recently read an interesting article about distraction and another concerning area: something the New York Times referred to as "distracted doctoring." The incidents may shock you. The examples cited by the New York Times include:

"a neurosurgeon making personal calls during an operation, a nurse checking airfares during surgery and a poll showing that half of technicians running bypass machines had admitted texting during a procedure."

One doctor interviewed in the article lamented upon walking into a hospital and seeing "doctors and other staff members glued to their phones, computers and iPads."

Like every other area of life that the internet has forever changed, the medical community has seen both good and bad effects of widespread web access. One benefit you may have noticed at your own doctor's office is that medical records are increasingly ditigitized, at least within the office. One detriment is the increased numbers of distracted doctors, nurses and technicians.

Just as drivers acknowledge that driving while texting is dangerous, doctors and nurses that text during surgeries or while caring for patients seem to feel the same way; yet, these behaviors continue. One studied cited by the New York Times

"found that 55 percent of technicians who monitor bypass machines acknowledged to researchers that they had talked on cellphones during heart surgery. Half said they had texted while in surgery. *** About 40 percent said they believed talking on the phone during surgery to be “always an unsafe practice." About half said the same about texting."

Apparently, one of the causes of the ever-increasing distractions in this area is the wide-spread availability of such interactive devices as smartphones, tablets and computers due to billions of dollars worth of investments in this area in an effort to achieve "data driven" medicine. As Cook County medical malpractice attorneys, we know firsthand that many patients are already frustrated with the current state of doctors' and nurses' bedside manners. Patients often feel rushed and ignored at times when human contact and attention is most important -- when dealing with a serious illness or injury. It has come to a point where medical malpractice attorneys routinely subpoena the cell phone records of physicians alleged to have committed malpractice to determine if cell phone use caused or, at the very least, contributed to a medical error. Attorneys must also investigate email records and web browsing histories.

As Chicago medical malpractice attorneys we believe that all hospitals and clinics must make an effort to ban the personal use of cell phones, smartphones, tablets and computer for doctors, nurses and technicians who are treating patients.