Why is it so difficult to measure the effects of interruptions in healthcare?
Document Type
Book chapter
Source Publication
MEDINFO 2010: Proceedings of the 13th World Congress on Medical Informatics
Publication Date
9-2010
First Page
784
Last Page
788
Publisher
IOS Press
Keywords
Interruption, Medical error, Safety, Efficiency, Evaluation studies, Observation, Computer simulation
Abstract
Interruptions are a complex phenomenon where multiple variables including the characteristics of primary tasks, the interruptions themselves, and the environment may influence patient safety and workflow outcomes. Observational studies present significant challenges for recording many of the process variables that influence the effects of interruptions. Controlled experiments provide an opportunity to examine the specific effects of variables on errors and efficiency. Computational models can be used to identify the situations in which interruptions to clinical tasks could be disruptive and to investigate the aggregate effects of interruptions.
DOI
10.3233/978-1-60750-588-4-784
Publisher Statement
Copyright © 2010 IMIA and SAHIA. All rights reserved.
Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.
Additional Information
ISBN of the source publication: 9781607505877
Full-text Version
Publisher’s Version
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Magrabi, F., Li, S. Y. W., Dunn, A. G., & Coiera E. (2010). Why is it so difficult to measure the effects of interruptions in healthcare? In C. Safran, S. Reti & H. F. Marin (Eds.), MEDINFO 2010: Proceedings of the 13th World Congress on Medical Informatics (pp.784-788). doi: 10.3233/978-1-60750-588-4-784