Should cellphones be banned in the operating room?

On Behalf of | Dec 15, 2018 | Medical Malpractice |

If you’ve ever seen a medical TV show where an operation was carried out, the medical team was likely very dialed in and focused on the operation. They may have talked to one another, but they all focused on the task at hand.

In real life, unfortunately, that’s not always the level of care you get from your surgeon. Reports show that many doctors get very distracted, and the reason is often the same one that is behind so much distracted driving: The smartphone.

In one case, after a patient passed away, investigators found that the doctor had been on his phone during the procedure. Astoundingly, he had texted people, made phone calls and even gone on the Internet during the procedure. All told, he did it 50 times.

Though it was not the same instance, reports did find something of a pattern of behavior. That same doctor once got out his phone so that he could photograph the team’s anesthesia monitor. He then posted the photo that he took on his social media sites.

He was certainly not alone. In another case, reports centered around an anesthesiologist who had gotten on his phone while a patient in the operating room was having surgery carried out on their stomach. He decided to send text messages that were not related to work. That anesthesiologist apparently wrote out more than 200 text messages and sent them, reports claimed, when the Department of Health looked back on similar procedures he had been a part of.

Technology has transformed the medical world, and often for the better. However, it also provides distractions, and they can lead to serious complications. Those who suffer harm due to distracted doctors need to know if they have a right to financial compensation.