PLAGUED BY MEDICUS INTERUPTIS. Do you suffer from this potentially lethal problem?

Obviously, there's no such disease as Medicus Interuptis, but as medical professionals we're all plagued by constant interruptions while documenting medical reports, seeing patients, or, in the case of pharmacists, dispensing medications that are designed to help patients.

Actually, studies indicate that nurses administering medications and pharmacists and technicians dispensing medications are distracted and interrupted as often as once every two minutes!

While we are all subject to interruptions during our work day, the argument that distractions and interruptions contribute to medication errors is pervasive in recent studies on this topic. One study suggests that the risk of any medication error increases 12.7% with each interruption, and the risk of a harmful medication error is doubled when nurses are interrupted four times during a single drug administration and tripled when interrupted 6 times (Westbrook JI, Woods A, Rob MI, Dunsmuir WT, Day RO. Association of interruptions with an increased risk and severity of medication administration errors: Archives of Internal Medicine 2010; 170(8):683-690).

While distractions and interruptions in healthcare can't be fully eliminated, there are tactics that may help cut down on some of them:

STAFF EDUCATION: Ask all staff to avoid interruptions during the preparation, mixing, labeling, or checking of medications, except during a significant emergency. Educate staff about the risks involved, and set up specific hours for interaction with staff for updates and other important matters.

BEST TIME FOR NECESSARY INTERRUPTIONS: If interruptions or notifications are necessary when dispensing medications, attempt to intervene during transitions between subtasks, such as between medications being prepared.

PREPARATION: To minimize interruptions, make sure all needed supplies and documents are available before preparing medications.

SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS: Attempt to identify the sources of regular interruptions and try to remedy them. For example, the system may be improved by providing medications to patient care units in the most ready to use form to minimize interruptions associated with mixing, diluting, or crushing. Also, consider establishing a fax, email, or other electronic form of communication between nurses and pharmacists for routine issues to help minimize minor interruptions.

These are just a few examples of how to diminish the constants flow of interruptions that plague most of us during critical periods of time. I'd like to hear what you may find helps during your work day.

Here's to better solutions,
Dave Bystrom