How to minimize digital distractions in the workplace

Are you struggling to minimize digital distractions in your healthcare environment? Do you find that many of your healthcare workers are often on their mobile devices and distracted from dealing with patients?

Digital distractions can impact patient safety. While many healthcare professionals’ roles require mobile devices to receive alerts, look up information, and send files, they can pose a risk to patients.

If digital distractions are becoming common in your workplace, it may be time to change your procedures & policies. By updating your healthcare environment’s policies, you can minimize SM browsing, reduce distractions, improve patient satisfaction, and create a more focused work environment.

Here’s everything you need to know.

How to Minimize Digital Distractions in the Health Workforce

You can do certain things to minimize digital distractions in your workplace, and many of them aren't hard to implement. Here are some tips.

1. Educate Your Workforce

Educate your workforce by addressing the behavior and updating procedures & policies. Create educational materials and hold meetings about the dangers of digital distraction.

Develop guidelines, implement safety rounds, and create an education program focusing solely on digital distractions. The program should open up the conversation on why reducing distractions is so essential for patient care, how it can improve the patient experience, and how it can pose a risk to the health and safety of patients and hospital staff members.

2. Motivate Your Team

Everyone likes a little bit of motivation or incentive. In addition to educating your employees about your digital distraction policy, hold meetings, put up signs, and keep the conversation going about the dangers of being distracted in the workplace.

Put sticky notes up for people to stay focused. Put posters on walls in staff rooms - make it fun! Remind your hospital staff members why they are doing their job - they want to help people and treat patients with the best care possible.

3. Tracking

To avoid digital distractions, you can suggest that your workers set specific times for when they check their phones. They can also track their progress and reward themselves when they meet their time.

Have employees schedule times to check emails and messages on their phones each day. Be sure also to have them turn off notifications to reduce distractions.

4. Remove the Distractions

While this can be difficult for healthcare professionals who require a mobile device, we suggest that employees avoid their mobile devices while working unless there is an emergency. We recommend turning off notifications, avoiding using the phone while with patients, and only using it in emergencies.

By removing the distraction, health care workers can focus on what is important - taking care of their patients and providing the best health care possible.

Remember: digital distractions can be deadly because of the critical decision the field requires. Mobile devices can take away attention from patient care and pose a risk to patients.

Limit time on cell phones, turn off devices while speaking to patients and set specific times to check mobile devices.

5. Designate Devices for Professional Use

We understand that certain healthcare professionals require mobile devices. Designating different mobile devices for specific use can reduce digital distractions.

When a healthcare worker has a separate mobile device specifically for when they are working, it can reduce the amount of time they are on the phone being distracted and will keep them focused on their patients and their work.

Everyone’s a Caregiver: Providing Education for Healthcare Workers

Everyone's Caregiver provides education to healthcare workers to improve their patients' overall experience. We understand the time constraints in today's workplace and have customized microlearning videos to help you gain the necessary skills to be a better, more positive healthcare worker.

We provide live training and speaking at events to help hospitals improve employee engagement and their patients' overall experience.

Please visit our YouTube channel for more information on this topic at https://www.youtube.com/user/Customlearningsue.

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