Indian Journal of Surgery Medknow Publications on behalf of Association of Surgeons of India ISSN: 0972-2068 Vol. 67, Num. 3, 2005, pp. 167-167

Indian Journal of Surgery, Vol. 67, No. 3, May-June, 2005, pp. 167

Letter To Editor

Mobile phone and the surgeon: Mobile etiquette mandatory

Kapadia Sumit, Joshi Surbhi

Deapartment of Vascular Surgery, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi
Correspondence Address:Department of Vascular Surgery, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Rajinder Nagar, New Delhi-110 060, Email: drsumit_k@rediffmail.com

Code Number: is05049

Dear Editor,

We read with great interest the controversial viewpoint by Kaushik Bhattacharya.[1] It is true that with their wide availability and connectivity, mobile phones have become indispensable for medical practitioners. However, to remain useful without disturbing or irritating patients and their relatives, mobile phones must be used sensible. Certain manners are therefore necessary for surgeons using a mobile phone.

1. During consultations, meetings and conferences, the mobile phones should be put on a vibratory mode to maintain silence and avoid distraction.
2. In the operation theatres, the mobile phones can be managed by the technician, who receives all calls and only the important ones are handed over to the surgeon. This is especially true with the recent onslaught of calls from banking and credit card companies.
3. The surgeons should avoid lengthy conversations on the phone while examining patients in the OPD or wards.
4. During surgeon and patient interactions, frivolous or indecent comments on the mobile phones should be avoided. There can be nothing more irritating to the patient than hearing his doctor talk about the last night′s party or the latest MMS clip with a friend on his mobile.

If such measures are followed, it appears that there may not remain any controversy over the use of mobile phones by surgeons.

References

Copyright 2005 - Indian Journal of Surgery