Do interruptions affect quality of work?

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine if interruptions affect the quality of work. BACKGROUND: Interruptions are commonplace at home and in the office. Previous research in this area has traditionally involved time and errors as the primary measures of disruption. Little is known about the effect interruptions have on quality of work. METHOD: Fifty-four students outlined and wrote three essays using a within-subjects design. During Condition 1, interruptions occurred while participants were outlining. During Condition 2, interruptions occurred while they were writing. No interruptions occurred in Condition 3. RESULTS: Quality of work was significantly reduced in both interruption conditions when compared to the non-interruption condition. The number of words produced was significantly reduced when participants were interrupted while writing the essay but not when outlining the essay. CONCLUSION: This research represents a crucial first step in understanding the effect interruptions have on quality of work. Our research suggests that interruptions negatively impact quality of work during a complex, creative writing task. Since interruptions are such a prevalent part of daily life, more research needs to be conducted to determine what other tasks are negatively impacted. Moreover, the underlying mechanism(s) causing these decrements needs to be identified. Finally, strategies and systems need to be designed and put in place to help counteract the decline in quality of work caused by interruptions.

Human factors methods to reduce medication error: using task analysis in a pediatric and adult pharmacy.

Medication error is an issue that no hospital is immune from, leading to 7,000 deaths and 1.3 million patient injuries each year. The purpose of this study was to decrease the risk and occurrence of medication errors by analyzing the hospital pharmacy. Task analyses were performed and it was found that communication, expectation, and procedural issues were leading to the occurrence of the most common type of medication error in the pharmacy. Recommendations were made to improve the process and reduce the occurrence of this type of error.