Interruptions in general practice.
Twenty routine General Practice surgeries were studied in an Irish urban setting by 2 independent observers. There were 212 observed consultations and 53 (25%) were interrupted. Of this 53 there were 80 interruptions in total, 32 (40%) of which were significant. The commonest source of interruption was the telephone (50%). This was followed by interruptions from the door, the patient's mobile phone, and the doctor being required to leave the room.
O'Connor
R
R
University of Limerick, Limerick City. rocthedoc@eircom.net
Barry
N
N
Dempsey
R
R
D005194:Family Practice; D006801:Humans; D007494:Ireland; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D013997:Time Factors; D014505:Urban Population