Interruptions in clinical nursing practice

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Healthcare Management
• Patient Safety

Background:

• Interruptions disrupt hospital nurses' workflow, patient safety, and emotional well-being.
• Frequent priority changes due to interruptions cause frustration, reduced job satisfaction, and stress.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe hospital nurses' work interruptions and their consequences.
• To explore the impact of interruptions on nursing practice and patient care.

Main Methods:

• An ethnographic study involving observation of five nurses over three weeks.
• Qualitative interviews were conducted with two nurses to gather in-depth insights.

Main Results:

• Nurses were most frequently interrupted by colleagues during medication preparation.
• Patients caused fewer interruptions compared to other groups.
• Nurses perceived some interruptions as avoidable, but their perception of other professionals as primary instigators was not confirmed.

Conclusions:

• Nurses experience a conflict between accessibility and maintaining focus, impacting their ability to 'see the big picture'.
• Professional 'groundedness' is key for nurses to manage interruptions and maintain equilibrium.
• Findings inform organizational, management, and training strategies to improve nursing conditions and interprofessional understanding.