Break free from screen addiction: a doctor’s prescription for smartphone sanity

KevinMD January 29, 2024
Allison O. Ignatz-Hoover, MD

Screentime addiction is real and it is everywhere. Over the past decade, I’ve worked with only one physician who doggedly held onto his pager, refusing to adopt the hospital’s HIPAA-compliant messaging app. He happens to be in his seventies, and a giant in his field; if he gets any grief for not using a smartphone 24/7, he probably doesn’t care. For the rest of us, though, this isn’t an option. We tether ourselves to smartphones, expecting – for ourselves and from each other – immediate access to consultants, patients’ charts, and the latest guidelines. Never mind that excessive screentime is bad for patient care, bad for our attention spans, bad for our mental health, and bad for our relationships and...

Today's Sponsors

Today's Sponsor