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Measuring Delay Discounting in Humans Using an Adjusting Amount Task
Published on: January 9, 2016
Why is it so difficult to measure the effects of interruptions in healthcare?
Farah Magrabi1, Simon Y W Li, Adam G Dunn
1Centre for Health Informatics, Australian Institute for Health Innovation, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. f.magrabi@unsw.edu.au
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.
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