By Eric Andrew Kristof, RN, CAHIMS | Healthcare IT Professional | HIMSS Arkansas Chapter Member
About This Series: The HIMSS Word of the Day is a running blog series drawing from the HIMSS Dictionary of Health Information and Technology Terms, Acronyms, and Organizations, 6th Edition (2025) — the authoritative reference for healthcare IT professionals and the primary study resource for CAHIMS and CPHIMS certification. Each post paraphrases the term in plain language, grounds it in real-world healthcare IT context, and adds a bedside nursing perspective you won’t find in a textbook.
📖 The Term: Smartphone
Source: HIMSS Dictionary of Health Information and Technology Terms, Acronyms, and Organizations, 6th Edition (2025)
🔍 Plain-Language Definition
The HIMSS Dictionary defines a smartphone as a mobile telephone that includes a computer and features that early phones did not have. Its examples include a full operating system, internet browsing, and room to install and run apps.
The word “smart” is about the software. Because a smartphone runs apps, it can become many tools: a secure messaging device, a camera for clinical photos, a reference library, a barcode or badge reader, a remote monitoring display, or an EHR companion app. The same features that make it useful create risks. A personal phone can store protected health information in places the hospital cannot manage, messages can travel through unapproved apps, and notifications can interrupt care.
Health systems usually handle this with policies and tools. Hospital-issued devices can be managed centrally, while employee-owned devices may be allowed under bring-your-own-device rules. Mobile device management software, secure messaging platforms, and EHR-integrated apps are the common ways to get the benefits while limiting the risks. NIST publishes guidelines for managing the security of mobile devices in the enterprise, and the topic has its own HIMSS Word of the Day on mobile device management.
| Capability | Clinical Use | Risk to Manage |
|---|---|---|
| Calling and messaging | Reach clinicians quickly | Unapproved apps, message overload |
| Camera | Document wounds and rashes | Images stored outside the record |
| Apps | References, EHR access, monitoring | Unvetted or insecure apps |
| Badge or barcode scanning | Identify patients and supplies | Device loss, shared devices |
| Location and sensors | Support tracking and monitoring | Privacy of location data |
| Notifications | Deliver alerts | Interruptions and alert fatigue |
⚠️ Exam Alert: A smartphone is a mobile telephone with an integrated computer, an operating system, web browsing, and apps. It differs from a feature phone, which has limited software. In health care, security centers on mobile device management, secure messaging, and BYOD policy, with encryption and remote wipe as common controls.
🌐 Why It Matters: Real-World Healthcare IT Context
Smartphones are in nearly every clinician’s pocket, and studies show how they change communication, documentation, and attention. The sources below cover students, messaging, consultations, distraction, and clinical photography.
A 2026 cross-sectional study in Frontiers in Public Health by Yuste and colleagues compared nursing students’ smartphone use during clinical placements in a Spanish nursing school across two cohorts, 2016 to 2017 (234 students) and 2023 to 2024 (203). Professional and academic use rose significantly over five years, especially for communication with health professionals, access to clinical information, and use of healthcare apps. Self-reported distraction did not increase, and students in the later cohort were less supportive of restrictive policies. The authors argue for promoting digital professionalism and responsible use instead of relying mainly on restriction. The data are self-reported from one school.
A 2025 observational study in JMIR Medical Informatics by Madabhushi and colleagues analyzed secure messaging between internal medicine interns and nurses on three medical-surgical units at a Boston academic medical center over six months. The 61,057 messages showed that interns exchanged 2.5 times more messages per day with nurses than the reverse, and volume peaked during morning rounds and overnight. Median read times were 35 seconds for interns and 26 seconds for nurses, with the longest response delays at 4 AM. The authors suggest optimized digital communication protocols to reduce nonessential messaging and alert fatigue. It describes patterns at one center and does not measure outcomes.
A 2026 cross-sectional survey in PLOS ONE by Abdul-Nabi and colleagues studied 120 clinicians involved in emergency department consultations at a Lebanese medical center. All reported using smartphones when on call. Instant messaging applications were the most preferred consultation method (48.3 percent), followed by smartphone calls (32.5 percent), and WhatsApp was the dominant app. About two-thirds reported concerns about legal implications and the need for better tools. The authors call for structured, secure digital solutions. The sample is small and from one hospital.
A 2026 cross-sectional study in BMC Nursing by Ciğerci and Özpınar of 319 surgical nurses in two Turkish institutions examined smartphone-related distraction and the tendency toward medical errors. Nurses reported moderate distraction and low error tendency. The authors report a weak but statistically significant relationship in which higher distraction scores were associated with a greater likelihood of medical errors, and they caution that the design was cross-sectional and self-reported, from two institutions in one country, so the association should be interpreted carefully.
A 2020 qualitative survey in the Journal of Medical Internet Research by Wyatt and colleagues studied patients photographed with a secure smartphone app that Mayo Clinic launched in 2015 to upload images directly to the EHR. Of 292 patients surveyed, 71 who recalled being photographed responded. Seventy-four percent would recommend medical photography to others, 67 percent felt the photos favorably affected their care, and only 3 percent had privacy or confidentiality concerns. Acceptability of reuse dropped as the audience grew, with 42 percent finding social media use for education acceptable. The authors advise using secure, EHR-integrated apps for point-of-care photography whenever possible. The response rate was low and the setting is one academic center.
Taken together, the sources show that smartphones are now routine clinical tools, that messaging load and distraction are real concerns, and that secure, integrated options are preferred to consumer apps.
Common smartphone-related problems:
- Consumer messaging apps used for clinical communication
- Clinical photos stored on personal camera rolls
- Message volume that overwhelms interns, nurses, and others
- Notifications that interrupt tasks requiring full attention
- Lost or shared devices that hold patient data
- Policies that restrict phones without offering a secure alternative
What supports safe, effective smartphone use:
- Secure, EHR-integrated messaging and photography tools
- Mobile device management with encryption and remote wipe
- Clear, practical policies on personal and shared devices
- Message protocols that limit nonurgent traffic
- Training on digital professionalism and privacy
- Feedback from nurses and physicians on what works
🏥 The Nurse’s Perspective: Clinical, Bedside, & Workflow
For nurses, the smartphone can be a lifeline or a source of noise, depending on how it is set up.
At the Bedside
A phone that delivers a clear, prioritized alert saves steps, while one that buzzes with every minor message breaks concentration during a medication pass. Silencing nonurgent notifications during critical tasks, where policy allows, protects attention.
In Clinical Workflow
Nurse informaticists help set messaging rules, such as which alerts go to which role, how to mark urgency, and what belongs in the record instead of a message. They also review requests for clinical photography and make sure images go to the EHR, not to a personal camera roll.
In EHR Implementation (Go-Live Perspective)
Mobile apps and devices are tested on every unit before an Epic Go-Live, including Wi-Fi coverage, sign-in, and battery life. At-the-elbow support analysts help staff pair devices, set notifications, and report dead zones or lost devices, so that the phone helps and does not slow care.
🎓 CAHIMS / CPHIMS & HIMSS Perspective
CAHIMS Exam Domain Mapping
Smartphones appear in mobility, security, and communication questions:
| CAHIMS Domain | How Smartphones Appear |
|---|---|
| Healthcare & Technology Environments | Mobile health, regulation, standards |
| Clinical Informatics | Secure messaging, alerts, point-of-care documentation |
| Healthcare Information & Systems Management | Device management, security, infrastructure |
| Management & Leadership | BYOD policy, change management, training |
Key Terms to Know Alongside Smartphone
- Mobile Device Management — software that deploys, secures, and monitors mobile devices
- BYOD — bring your own device, a policy allowing personal devices for work
- Secure Messaging — encrypted, auditable messaging for clinical communication
- Alert Fatigue — reduced response to alerts caused by too many notifications
- Remote Wipe — ability to erase a lost device’s data from afar
- mHealth — mobile health, the use of mobile devices to support care
HIMSS Organizational Position
HIMSS offers education and research on health information and technology topics through its Resource Center. Members can find related information on the HIMSS Resource Center page.
🔗 Explore Further: External References
- Yuste et al. (2026), Frontiers in Public Health — Smartphone use among nursing students during clinical placements: a five-year comparison of use, distraction, and regulatory perceptions https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42922949/
- Madabhushi et al. (2025), JMIR Medical Informatics — Effect of Smartphone-Based Messaging on Interns and Nurses at an Academic Medical Center: Observational Study https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40245430/
- Abdul-Nabi et al. (2026), PLOS ONE — Using instant messaging applications for consultations in the emergency department: A cross-sectional survey https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41984919/
- Ciğerci and Özpınar (2026), BMC Nursing — The relationship between smartphone-related distraction and medical error tendency among surgical nurses: a cross-sectional study https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41535824/
- Wyatt et al. (2020), Journal of Medical Internet Research — Patients’ Experiences and Attitudes of Using a Secure Mobile Phone App for Medical Photography: Qualitative Survey Study https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32396127/
- NIST — SP 800-124 Rev. 2, Guidelines for Managing the Security of Mobile Devices in the Enterprise https://csrc.nist.gov/pubs/sp/800/124/r2/final
- HIMSS — Resource Center https://www.himss.org/resource-center
Term source: HIMSS Dictionary of Health Information and Technology Terms, Acronyms, and Organizations, 6th Edition (2025). All definitions in this series are paraphrased for editorial purposes. Readers are encouraged to consult the primary source for exact language.
Eric Andrew Kristof, RN, CAHIMS is a Healthcare IT professional and HIMSS Arkansas Chapter member based in Hot Springs Village, AR, with hands-on Epic Go-Live experience and a diverse healthcare and IT background. He writes at kristof.org at the intersection of clinical care and healthcare technology.
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