Epilepsy Talk
Doctors distracted by electronic devices… | February 24, 2026
Do you know what happens during surgery?
Cut…open…correct…sew.
Maybe some background music. Hip if the doctor likes that. Or classical.
Well, not exactly.
You might be surprised. Or horrified to learn the truth.
How about your technician who’s running the bypass machine texting during the procedure…
Or the nurse checking airfares…
And your neurosurgeon chatting away on a personal phone call?
That’s right. Electronic devices have not only taken over our culture. They’ve taken over the operating room!
While some medical schools are teaching would-be doctors to use electronic devices – hopefully for diagnostic purposes – other medical staff prefer to check eBay.
Various high-profile cases have illustrated the deadly effects that doctor distraction can have.
The most famous case happened in Texas where a woman died after her oxygen levels fell during surgery. The anesthesiologist, who failed to notice the issue for 20 minutes, was accused of emailing and texting during the procedure.
In 2014, comedian Joan Rivers passed away due to complications during a minor throat surgery. During the operation, one doctor took cell phone photos of the comedian. Investigators didn’t find that this behavior directly caused the complications, but it may have contributed to the final outcome.
In another case, a resident began using her phone to enter an order to discontinue an inpatient’s blood-thinner order. In the middle of doing that, the resident was distracted by a text message from a friend asking about plans for an upcoming party.
She never finished entering the order, and the patient later required open-heart surgery to remove blood filling the sac around his heart.
It’s a problem. And an epidemic.
One might say that technology rules. In this age and era, doctors are almost born with cell phones in their hands. Texting, talking, searching, researching, buying, selling, planning and so on. They’re also expected to be available 24/7.
That’s part of the problem. And, in part, that explains “distracted doctoring”.
While distraction is particularly concerning in the operating room, emergency room, and critical care areas, it can impact all healthcare settings — including the office practice.
Personal electronic devices can create a digital distraction so engrossing that it consumes awareness, potentially preventing healthcare providers from focusing on the primary task at hand — caring for and interacting with patients.
The consequences can be devastating.
Attending to a patient’s complex care needs is a high-risk activity that requires undivided attention presence in the moment to ensure the safety and protection of others.
The patient is in the doctor’s hands. Literally and figuratively.
They have put their faith and trust into the medical professional’s experience and expertise. Hands that may hold the power of life or death.
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Resources:
https://www.reliasmedia.com/articles/142798-electronic-distractions-can-be-costly-to-surgeons-ascs
https://www.thedoctors.com/articles/distracting-devices-in-healthcare-malpractice-implications/
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About the author
Epilepsy Talk 
I was never worried about this when it came to my temporal lobectomy. My epileptologist and I became close friends and I trusted him and his staff. They became friends, too. Every minute I was awake during my surgery I could hear voices and most of what I heard was business and support with a joke here and there. I had it coming because I spent the whole morning cracking jokes to the nurses.
The next two surgeries I wasn’t too worried about because of the positive result of my brain surgery but I didn’t know enough about either surgeon or their staff to feel as confident as I did with my neurosurgeon. In fact, I just met the heart surgeon less than 12 hours before the surgery and I was satisfied with the results of that surgery.
Now the vascular surgeon I question because weeks after my surgery, I feel pain if I try to take more than 30 steps. This led to two more surgeries to fix the problem.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that you could be faced with questionable surgeons and staff, but after the 10 surgeries (six different types) I’ve had, it’s been positive enough not to worry about the next one.
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Comment by Ed Lugge — February 24, 2026 @ 2:24 PM
Ed, that kind of trust and confidence is priceless. And so are you!!!!!
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — February 24, 2026 @ 3:04 PM
I was having a failed vns removed with a local anaesthetic, horrible, but I was entertained by the chat going on around me, one doctor, an immigrant who didn’t know my country was so excited about an area of my N Ireland and thought he was in Co Down but he was actually in Co Antrim I didn’t know if I should join in but one of the nurses corrected him!. However it got a bit frightening when the surgeon started moaning he was so tired and my vns was one of the first and very big, a nurse offered him a chair but he refused he had to do it fast because a friend working in another theatre needed help, he didn’t remove the wires in my neck, was he rushing too fast? I can’t have MRIs now with the metal. And the most disgusting part was him cauterizing the wound, I smelt like roast beef overdone. Don’t ever accept that local anesthetic unless you are aware of all it means and don’t believe those hospital dramas when all the staff are so concerned about the patient, you are just another job to get through and they may be doing it when anyone doing an office job must have some rest to be able to think carefully 😡
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Comment by Miss Gail Barry — February 28, 2026 @ 10:36 AM
OMG Miss Gail. It sounds like a nightmare come true.
Usually, they say it’s best to be the first in the daily line-up of surgeries because everyone is fresh and well rested.
I guess not so in your case.
What began as banter turned out to be a big glaring mistake.
I’m so sorry because of that, you have to live with the consequences.
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — February 28, 2026 @ 11:42 AM