Effect of phone call distraction on the performance of medical students in an OSCE.

Background: The usage of smartphones in the daily clinical routine is an essential aspect however it seems that they also present an important distractor that needs to be evaluated. The aim of this prospective study was the evaluation of the influence of phone calls as distractors on the performance levels of medical students during an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE), simulating the normal clinical practice.

Methods: As the goal of an OSCE presents the examination of clinical skills of medical students in a realistic setting, more than 100 students recruited from the university hospital of Cologne participated in either OSCE I or II. During the OSCE I intravenous cannulation was simulated while OSCE II simulated an acute abdominal pain station. Participants had to perform each of these stations under two circumstances: a normal simulated OSCE and an OSCE station with phone call distraction. Their performance during both simulations was then evaluated.

Results: In OSCE I students achieved significantly more points in the intravenous cannulation station if they were not distracted by phone calls (M=6.44 vs M=5.95). In OSCE II students achieved significantly more points in the acute abdominal pain station if they were not distracted by phone calls (M=7.59 vs M=6.84). While comparing only those students that completed both stations in OSCE I/II participating students achieved significantly more points in both OSCE I and II if they were not distracted by phone calls.

Conclusion: The presented data shows that phone call distraction decreases the performance level of medical students during an OSCE station. Therefore, it is an indicator that distraction especially for younger doctors should be held to a minimum. On a second note distraction should be integrated in the medical education system as it plays an important role in clinical routine.