Smartphone addiction among trainee doctors

Aim of the study: To assess the prevalence of Smartphone addiction among trainee doctors and to determine the factors associated with it.Methods: This was an observational, descriptive, and analytical cross-sectional study, targeting trainee doctors. We used the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version (SAS-SV) to assess smartphone addiction.Results: Our study included 385 participants. The average age was 28 years ± 2.1. The sex ratio (male / female) was 0.3. The mean SAS-SV score was 29.67 ± 11. One hundred ninety-one trainee doctors (49.6%) were Smartphone addicts. the duration of daily use and the preferential use for social networking were associated with Smartphone addiction (p < 10-3). Conclusion: Young medical trainees are a particularly vulnerable population to smartphone addiction. This could greatly impact their personal and professional development, and thus hamper the healthcare system.Educational awareness and prevention programs in medical settings concerning digital health and mental wellbeing are therefore essentials.