title: Why is it so difficult to measure the effects of interruptions in healthcare?
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.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Health Informatics, Australian Institute for Health Innovation, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. f.magrabi@unsw.edu.au
authors.forename: Farah
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Magrabi
authors.forename: Simon Y W
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Adam G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Dunn
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Coiera
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D017146:Models, Organizational; D020399:Practice Management; D017748:Time Management / Q000458:organization & administration*; D013996:Time and Motion Studies; D057188:Workflow; D016526:Workload