Smartphone addiction linked to poor sleep, emotional exhaustion amongst Medicos: Study

New Delhi: 1 in 5 medical students may be addicted to their phones, a recent study has pointed out. Further, this growing addiction to phones might be directly linked to their poor sleep quality and high levels of emotional exhaustion, the study suggested.

Smartphones have now become an integral part of the medical education system, bringing prompt and updated medical information to the fingertips of students. Yet, with all its advantages, smartphones may also have negative impact on medicos

A recent study has found that around 22.3% of Osteopathic medical students have smartphone addiction which is directly related to the poor sleep quality and high levels of emotional exhaustion in them. The study was carried out to examine the relation between smartphone addiction, sleep quality, perceived stress and burnout.

As per the study, burnout is a psychological syndrome that results from prolonged exposure to stressful activities. This condition is very common in the medical students, residents and practising physicians. It can also lead to many other serious medical conditions like type 2 diabetes mellitus, suicidal ideation, heart diseases and psychological morbidity.

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The study which was conducted by the medical professionals at Ohio University and published in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association was carried out by surveying 385 first to fourth-year medicos from 3 different medical campuses. The participants filled the online questionnaire service Qualtrics to complete the survey.

Key findings of the study showed :

Nine (2.3%) of total 385 participants reported high emotional exhaustion.

Around 310 (80.5%) participants reported a high level of low personal accomplishment.

Sixty-seven (17.4%) participants reported high depersonalization.

In comparison with women, men reported higher levels of burnout.

First-year students reported a low level of depersonalization in comparison to third-year students who reported the highest level.

No difference was found on the basis of age and medical school campus.

Eighty-six (22.3%) participants reported the smartphone addiction which was associated with poor sleep quality and high levels of emotional exhaustion.

"I think the findings warrant additional research into how smartphone addiction can exacerbate burnout, Increasingly, medical education incorporates smart devices, so we want to be mindful of how much we condition students to rely on them," said the lead author on this study.

"That 80 per cent feel a low sense of achievement is a bit ironic, considering that these are all high-performing individuals. However, it also makes sense in that they have gone from an environment where they were standouts to one where they are now on an equal academic playing field," she further added.

Read also: Obesity simulation suits may uncover medical student biases against obesity: BMJ StudyNew Delhi: A recent study has found that around 22.3% of Osteopathic medical students have smartphone addiction which is directly related to the poor sleep quality and high levels of emotional exhaustion in them. The study was carried out to examine the relation between smartphone addiction, sleep quality, perceived stress and burnout.