Smartphone dependence linked to lower job performance among nurses in cross-sectional study

Nurses with higher scores on a measure of nomophobia reported lower job performance, according to a descriptive cross-sectional study of 190 nurses employed at three hospitals affiliated with Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in Iran. The research, published in BMC Health Services Research, set out to address a gap in the literature by examining the relationship between nomophobia and two critical aspects of nursing work: clinical decision-making and job performance. While the association with job performance was statistically significant, no significant relationship emerged with clinical decision-making.

The study was conducted in 2024–2025, with participants selected through convenience and proportionate sampling methods. Data were collected using a demographic form, the Nomophobia Questionnaire, the Lauri and Salantera Clinical Decision Questionnaire, and the Patterson Job Performance Questionnaire, and analyzed in SPSS 22. The mean nomophobia score among participants was 70.56, with a standard deviation of 24.36. Mean job performance was 23.77 (SD 9.83), and mean clinical decision-making was 32.08 (SD 14.98).

Statistical testing showed a significant inverse relationship between nomophobia and job performance (P = 0.002), meaning that nurses with higher nomophobia scores reported lower performance on the job performance measure. By contrast, the relationship between nomophobia and clinical decision-making did not reach statistical significance (P = 0.18). Because the study was descriptive and cross-sectional, the results describe associations measured at a single point in time and cannot establish that nomophobia causes reduced job performance.

To identify factors associated with nomophobia levels, the researchers fitted an overall regression model that was statistically significant (F = 15.01, p < 0.001) and explained 24.2% of the variance in nomophobia scores (R² = 0.242, adjusted R² = 0.226). Within that model, the duration and frequency of smartphone use during working hours were significant predictors of the nomophobia score (P < 0.01). The authors note that the increasing use of smartphones in healthcare has introduced new challenges for nurses, including nomophobia, which motivated the investigation.

The authors conclude that higher nomophobia levels were associated with reduced job performance among nurses, while no significant effect was observed on clinical decision-making. They emphasize that future studies are needed to determine whether interventions targeting smartphone-related behaviors can improve professional outcomes in clinical settings. Several limitations follow from the study design: the sample was drawn from three hospitals in a single Iranian region using convenience and proportionate sampling, all measures were self-reported questionnaires, and the cross-sectional structure precludes causal inference. The findings therefore characterize an association within this population rather than a general rule, and any workplace response aimed at smartphone-related behaviors would require testing in interventional research before benefits can be claimed.

Subject of Research: The relationship between nomophobia, clinical decision-making, and job performance in hospital nurses

Article Title: Relationship of nomophobia with clinical decision-making and job performance in nurses: a cross-sectional study

Article References: Soheili, M., Ghaedi-Heidari, F., & Tavakoli, S. (2026). Relationship of nomophobia with clinical decision-making and job performance in nurses: a cross-sectional study. BMC Health Services Research. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-026-15956-3

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s12913-026-15956-3

Keywords: nomophobia, nurses, job performance, clinical decision-making, smartphone use, cross-sectional study, Iran, BMC Health Services Research, hospital workforce, occupational health, Relationship, clinical