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International Conference on Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics

AHFE 2019: Advances in Usability and User Experience pp 81–92Cite as

The Effects of Clinical Task Interruptions on Subsequent Performance of a Medication Pre-Administration Task

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Part of the book series: Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing ((AISC,volume 972))

Abstract

There is a surge of research exploring the role of task interruptions in the manifestation of primary task errors both in controlled experimental settings, and safety critical workplaces such as healthcare. Despite such research providing valuable insights into the disruptive properties of task interruption, and, the importance of considering the likely disruptive consequences of clinical task interruptions in healthcare environments, there is an urgent need for an approach that best mimics complex working environments such as healthcare, whilst allowing better control over experimental variables with minimal constraints. We propose that this can be achieved with ecologically sensitive experimental tasks designed to have high levels of experimental control so that theoretical as well as practical parameters and factors can be tested. We developed a theoretically and ecologically informed procedural memory-based task - the CAMROSE Medication Pre-Administration Task. Results revealed significantly more sequence errors were made on low, moderate and high complex conditions compared to no interruption condition. There was no significant difference in non-sequence errors. Findings reveal the importance of developing ecologically valid tasks to explore non-observable characteristics of clinical task interruptions. Both theoretical and possible practical implications are discussed.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health and Social Sciences, University of the West of England (UWE) – Bristol, Frenchay Campus, Bristol, UK

    Craig Williams, Gary Christopher, Nancy Zook & Rebbeca Hoskins

  2. School of Psychology, Human Factors Excellence Research Group, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK

    Phillip L. Morgan

Authors
  1. Craig Williams
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  2. Phillip L. Morgan
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  3. Gary Christopher
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  4. Nancy Zook
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  5. Rebbeca Hoskins
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Craig Williams .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA

    Tareq Ahram

  2. Catholic University of Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil

    Christianne Falcão

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Williams, C., Morgan, P.L., Christopher, G., Zook, N., Hoskins, R. (2020). The Effects of Clinical Task Interruptions on Subsequent Performance of a Medication Pre-Administration Task. In: Ahram, T., Falcão, C. (eds) Advances in Usability and User Experience. AHFE 2019. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 972. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-19135-1_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-19135-1_9

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-19134-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-19135-1

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