How a digital detox may make you a better doctor
Key Takeaways
Anybody else feel like they have the attention span of a goldfish these days? Or maybe slightly depressed? Technology use may be driving these feelings. You might need a digital detox. We’re surrounded by screens and their attention-demanding displays and alerts. Whether it’s your smartphone, or the medical equipment you work with daily, devices are fragmenting your attention.
While there isn’t much in the scientific literature on the impact of screen time on adults, researchers have looked at the effects on children. A PLOS One study published in April 2019 looked for associations between screen time and inattention problems in preschoolers. The data came from the Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development (CHILD) study, and links increased screen time to increased attention issues in young children.
A JAMA Pediatrics study published in July highlights additional detrimental effects of screen time on developing adolescent brains. This longitudinal study concluded that screen time—including social media and TV—increased levels of depression in adolescents. Researchers hypothesized that the depression is a result of increased social comparison.
If screens are having a verifiable effect on developing minds, is it reasonable to conclude that they’re at least having some effect on adults?
Why doctors need to minimize distraction
Two facts illustrate why doctors should minimize the impact of the aforementioned technological distractions in their lives. The first is pretty straightforward. The stakes in medicine could not be higher. Lives are on the line. Anything that could diminish your attention span or emotional wellbeing should likely be set aside.
The second fact relates to the already emotionally taxing nature of medicine. In addition to riding the emotional rollercoaster of caring for patients daily, doctors have to contend with an increasingly demanding career, which is worsened by the physician shortage and increased documentation requirements. All of these factors contribute to physician burnout.
It might be vital for the wellbeing of your patients, as well as yourself, to eliminate these extraneous sources of mental interference from your life. The good news is that the process has already been laid out for you.
Digital detox
Cal Newport’s Digital Minimalism provides a practical blueprint for you to follow. We won’t summarize the entire book for you, but the Reader’s Digest version is that you need to reset your relationship with technology. The process begins with a 30-day digital detox during which you refrain from using social media and eliminate mindless technology use. This can include binge watching shows on streaming services, such as Netflix, or going down internet rabbit holes, investigating the history of the ‘80s pop band Milli Vanilli.