Introduction
According to a recent study, the number of mobile devices worldwide has increased by almost 8 percent since 2013 (Statista, 2016). The research findings also reveal that around 61 percent of the world’s population used mobile phones in 2015 (Statista, 2016). It is estimated that this number will increase by 6 percent in 2019 (Statista, 2016). The figures for the United States were even higher. Around 74 percent of the American population owned a smartphone in 2015 (Statista, 2016). The growth of mobile usage and IT consumerization has led many industries to adopt Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies that would encourage their employees to use private mobile phones in the workplace (Marshall, 2014).
This paper will examine the use of personal electronic devices for work-related purposes in the clinical setting.
Hypotheses: Research and Null
The study hypothesis is that the use of personal mobile devices by registered nurses increases their ability to make clinical decisions regarding patient care. The null hypothesis is that the use of personal mobile devices by registered nurses does not impact their ability to make clinical decisions regarding patient care. Experimental confirmation of the study hypothesis will determine the success of the application of the scientific method to the problem-solving.
Outcomes
The expected outcome of the study is to gather qualitative data that will confirm the potential of BYOD policy to positively impact patient care.
Theoretical Framework
The basis of the theoretical assumption of this research is the results of the study conducted by Phillippi and Wyatt (2011). According to the researchers, the easy access to educational materials and professional guidelines in clinical settings can be facilitated by the use of smartphones (Phillippi and Wyatt, 2011). Another study shows that the use of mobile phones can increase the efficiency of interprofessional communication between clinicians (Wu et al., 2011). It also suggests that personal electronic devices can help nurses and other health care professionals in the clinical decision-making process through the aid of clinical decision support tools. Moreover, research conducted by Chatterley and Chojecki (2010) reveals that medical students prefer the use of personal smartphones over other handheld devices for access to professional data.
Method
The study requires a group of clinical nurses that will participate in the study. Simple random sampling will be used to obtain a required sample. The randomization method will allow us to rule out some of the possible extraneous variables, such as the extensive previous experience of working in the nursing field. The research will be designed as a primary study and will require first-hand data from the participants (Saunders, Lewis, & Thornhill, 2009).
Setting
Considering the limited amount of resources available to the researcher, it will be impossible to conduct this study in more than one health care facility. Therefore, only one clinic will be chosen for the research based on geographic proximity to the investigator.
Data Collection
In order to increase response and participation rates, online questionnaires will be used for the purpose of data collection (ESRC, 2007). They will help to gather qualitative data that will show how health care professionals perceive the efficacy of the use of clinical decision support tools on their personal mobile devices (ESRC, 2007). The participants of the study will be required to fill in online-based questionnaires that have numerous advantages over e-mail or paper-based data collection tools. For example, they are cost-effective and can be used even by those respondents who do not have personal e-mail accounts. The questionnaires for the study will be created with special software and designed in an intuitive way (ESRC, 2007).
Test-Retest Reliability
In order to examine the stability of the study instrument over time, the test-retest reliability method will be used. It is conducted by administering the initial questionnaire to the same group of research participants (Vaz, Falkmer, Passmore, Parsons, & Andreou, 2013). Better reproducibility of the study results suggests a high level of the precision of developed or existing instruments. There are two possible outcomes of the test-retest reliability approach. The first is that the results of the second test do not differ from the results of the first one (Vaz et al., 2013). The second outcome is that there is a significant variation between the two tests. In order to obtain those measures, two approaches could be taken (Vaz et al., 2013). One tactic requires the researcher to invite the group of registered nurses participating in the study to take a retest one week after the research. Another approach includes an e-mail survey in which health care professionals that took part in the study will be asked to fill in the initial questionnaires one more time (Vaz et al., 2013).
Evaluation of the Results
If the data from the online-based questionnaires does not support the hypothesis, the study’s premise of the potentially beneficial effects of personal mobile devices on the health care outcomes might seem sufficiently doubtful. In such a case, a re-evaluation of the original hypothesis might be required.
References
Chatterley, T., & Chojecki, D. (2010). Personal digital assistant usage among undergraduate medical students: Exploring trends, barriers, and the advent of smartphones. Journal of Medical Library Association, 98(4), 157-160.
ESRC. (2007). Methods of Data Collection in Social Surveys. Web.
Marshall, S. (2014). IT Consumerization: A Case Study of BYOD in a Healthcare Setting. Technology Innovation Management Review, 4(3), 14-18.
Phillippi, J., & Wyatt, T. (2011). Smartphones in Nursing Education. CIN: Computers, Informatics, Nursing, 29(8), 449-454.
Saunders, M., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A. (2009). Research Methods for Business Students. New Jersey, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Statista. (2016). Mobile phone user penetration as percentage of the population worldwide from 2013 to 2019. Web.
Vaz, S., Falkmer, T., Passmore, A., Parsons, R., & Andreou, P. (2013). The Case for Using the Repeatability Coefficient When Calculating Test–Retest Reliability. Plos ONE, 8(9), 109-117.
Wu, R., Rossos, P., Quan, S., Reeves, S., Lo, V., Wong, B.,… Morra, D. (2011). An Evaluation of the Use of Smartphones to Communicate Between Clinicians: A Mixed-Methods Study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 13(3), 59-64.