A Descriptive Study to Evaluate the Degree of Nomophobia among Healthcare Providers in Selected Private Hospitals in the Palakkad District

Abstract

The cell phone has evolved into a necessary tool for daily living. On the one hand, mobile phones allow one to stay in contact with others and do work or school assignments at any time or location.   It can be used by people to plan their daily schedules and leisure time.   On the other hand, a mobile phone is a gadget that can cause a variety of mental and physical problems. Nomophobia, a modern-day fear, is only one of many problems. Nomophobia, or "no mobile phone phobia," is the term used to describe the fear that mobile phone users experience when they are not using their devices. It is the fear of using technology to communicate ineffectively. This fear shows up as physical, mental, and emotional symptoms when there is stress or danger. The goal of the current study is to ascertain the amount of nomophobia experienced by medical staff members employed by distinct private hospitals in the Palakkad District of Kerala and to establish a correlation between that level and specified sociodemographic traits. The survey included one hundred medical professionals from certain private institutions. This research adhered to strict ethical standards to protect the rights of respondents and received approval from the Research Ethical Committee of the institutes and meet the ethical guidelines. According to the study's findings, the medical professionals at the selected private hospitals in the Palakkad District exhibit varying degrees of nomophobia. The results of the study show that 17% of healthcare professionals suffer from severe nomophobia, 47% from moderate nomophobia, and 36% from light nomophobia. Nomophobia is substantially correlated with the sociodemographic traits of health care professionals, including gender, occupation, monthly remuneration, and daily usage hours.