Pagers are not dead, but a study published in Telemedicine and e-Health indicates that texting is not just an increasingly pervasive means of professional-to-professional communication, but a highly unprotected one because communications can happen on business phones as well as personal devices for which texting personal health information may not be approved.
The micro study of 106 hospitalists also showed that the speedy communication tool is invasive, because professionals tend to keep their phones on, even when off duty. Researchers found that “more than half of respondents reported receiving work-related text messages when not scheduled to be on call,” and said this should be examined because of the potential to have an impact on work-life balance.
