Nursing Students' Perceptions of Acceptable Use of Smartphones During Clinical Placement: A Cross‐Sectional Study

BACKGROUND: The rise in smartphone use presents opportunities and challenges in clinical settings. Despite guidelines restricting mobile phone use, nurses frequently rely on them for various purposes. While beneficial, smartphone use poses risks to information security, patient safety, and care quality, prompting the need for monitoring. OBJECTIVE: This study examined smartphone usage among nursing students and their perspectives on acceptable and unacceptable use during clinical placements. DESIGN: This cross-sectional study used convenience sampling to recruit undergraduate nursing students from five universities in Australia and New Zealand. Participants completed the Attitude Towards Digital Device Use during Clinical Placement (Adduct) Scale online between September 2021 and August 2022. The survey included closed and open-ended questions. Descriptive and inferential analyses were conducted using SPSS. Exploratory factor analysis identified attitudinal dimensions, while group comparisons assessed demographic variations. Qualitative responses were thematically analysed. Reporting followed the Consensus-Based Checklist for Reporting of Survey Studies (CROSS). RESULTS: Among 279 respondents, drawn from an eligible population of 2682 students, the response rate was 10.4%. Age significantly influenced perceptions of unacceptable smartphone use. Younger students (mean age = 25.0, SD = 9.8) were more likely to view such use as acceptable, with those up to 21 years reporting higher scores on the Unacceptable Use sub-scale compared to older peers (p = 0.024). Most respondents found smartphone use beneficial for accessing information and learning, though concerns included distractions and confidentiality breaches. Younger students were at greater risk of non-adherence to guidelines. CONCLUSION: Smartphones can enhance learning and efficiency, but clear guidelines and education are needed to balance benefits with risks, particularly for younger students. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: This study highlights the need for clear guidelines and structured training to balance educational benefits of smartphone use with the risks of distraction and breaches of patient confidentiality in clinical practice. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No patient or public pontribution.