Nursing open
Blurred Boundaries at the Bedside: Reframing Problematic Smartphone Use as an Ethical and Organisational Challenge in Nursing Practice
By Kurup C and Rijal D.
Abstract
Aim
To critically examine problematic smartphone use in clinical nursing practice and to reframe it as an ethical, organisational and leadership challenge requiring system-level governance rather than individual behavioural regulation.
Design
Position paper.
Methods
A narrative, evidence-informed synthesis was undertaken using a structured search of CINAHL, MEDLINE via PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science, supplemented by Google Scholar and purposive identification of professional, regulatory and governance sources. The original search was conducted on 12 April 2026, and a structured evidence update was undertaken to 17 September 2026 using the same six evidence domains and eligibility criteria. The synthesis included practising nurses, nursing students and nursing interns where smartphone use occurred in clinical or clinical-placement contexts, together with carefully identified transferable evidence from interruption science and cognitive psychology. Evidence was classified as direct, indirect/transferable or normative/governance evidence and interpreted using a Socio-Technical Systems framework. No formal risk-of-bias appraisal was undertaken; instead, credibility, directness and applicability were assessed during interpretation.