Queensland Health’s new guidelines for phone use

Queensland Health will issue a best-practice position statement on clinical use of mobile phones, in the wake of one patient’s horror experience.

The use of mobile phones in clinical practice in hospitals across the state is under scrutiny, with Queensland Health drawing up a best-practice position statement for clinicians to be delivered this month.

While mobile phones are increasingly used in the state’s hospitals for many aspects of healthcare — to take pictures of a wound, burn or skin issue, or to check scans or blood test results, and to send pictures to the on-call doctor — the guidelines are outdated.

Queensland Health’s position statement will alert healthcare workers of the importance of patient consent and safety.

Mobile phone use by medics was highlighted in the review into the devastating miscarriage suffered by Nikkole Southwell at Ipswich Hospital last year.

The review was ordered after the young mother revealed she was forced to sit with the remains of her baby in a biohazard bag in the emergency department waiting room before being examined by staff who had to borrow her partner’s mobile phone’s torchlight to examine her cervix.

A Queensland Health spokesman said: “As a priority, we are looking at the most effective method to communicate guidance around the use of mobile phones in clinical practice.

Nikkole Southwell had a nightmare miscarriage experience at Ipswich Hospital last year.

“This will include the development of a position statement for health professionals regarding appropriate mobile phone usage in clinical settings and issuing a patient safety alert to all healthcare professionals across the state.

“This communication will occur later this month.”

Australian Medical Association Queensland president Maria Boulton told The Courier- Mail current guidelines did not reflect the modern world.

“Under the guidelines, mobile phones should not be used to take clinical pictures and no patient information should be sent via text message. This is impractical and widely ignored,” Dr Boulton said.

The AMAQ chief has commended Queensland Health for reviewing the guidelines, “but if it is just another version of the ‘don’t use your phone policy’ it will be ignored”.

“The need to use a mobile phone as a light during a pelvic exam suggests that the accessibility and suitability of appropriate examination equipment within the ED needs more scrutiny than doctors’ mobile phone use,” Dr Boulton said.

West Moreton Health has informed staff at Ipswich Hospital that mobile phone torch lights are not to be used for patient examination.

A review of handover protocols was also undertaken with Queensland Ambulance Service to ensure items known to be in a patient’s possession, such as biohazard bags, are identified early during hospital treatment.

Originally published as Queensland Health’s new guidelines for phone use