Smart devices are opening more channels to information than ever before, but they come with a price—and not just in the financial sense, writes Beckers Hospital Review.

Technological distraction has become ubiquitous, impeding our ability to communicate personally and even, in some cases, operate a motor vehicle. The problem has even found its way into healthcare. For example, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality in 2011 detailed a sentinel case that involved a medication error related to digital distraction. A nurse resident was in the middle of discontinuing a dementia patient’s blood thinner order when she received a text message. The nurse responded to the text and never finished discontinuing the order. The patient later required open heart surgery.