Relationship between Smartphones Utilization and Work Engagement among Nurses.

Background: Healthcare organizations are being transformed by the electronic era and are becoming increasingly electronic-rich environments. Nurses can use their smartphones for both work purposes and non-work purposes which have a significant impact on their work engagement. Aim: Identify the relationship between smartphone utilization and work engagement among nurses. Settings: This study was carried out in Damanhour Fever Hospital which serves a large number of population and it has multi-specialty services, it consists of 15 units. Subjects: All nursing staff who are working in the previously mentioned units were included in the study (N=400) who are providing direct and indirect nursing care, have more than one year of experience in the work setting, and utilize their smartphones. Tools: Two tools were used. Smartphones Utilization in Healthcare Questionnaire, and Utrecht Work Engagement Scale. Results: The present study revealed that the majority of nurses (85%) perceived a high mean score percent regarding the overall utilization of smartphones for work purposes represented in its all dimensions. Also, more than half of nurses (53.5%) perceived low levels regarding the overall utilization of smartphones for non-work purposes. On another hand, the majority of nurses (91.3%) perceived a high mean score present of total work engagement (58.93 + 5.96) represented in its three dimensions. Conclusions: There was a statistically significant positive correlation between smartphone utilization for work purposes and work engagement . Additionally, there was a statistically significant negative correlation between smartphone utilization for non-work purposes and their work engagement. Recommendations: top management in hospitals creates practical policies, guidelines, and strategies to limit the use of smartphones by healthcare workers in clinical settings for non-work purposes and encourage productive use of smartphones for work purposes.