Managing radiological technologists' impatience: testing the effectiveness of a group work intervention

Impatience is closely associated with stress, anxiety, and tension, all of which can adversely affect task performance and decision-making. Previous research analyzing incident reports from radiological technologists (RTs) has shown that impatience contributes to incidents regardless of years of experience. Based on these findings, this study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a group-work intervention designed to regulate feelings of impatience. A group-work session titled "Coping with Impatience and Its Effects" was conducted with 16 RTs at Kyoto University Hospital (mean experience: 5.2 years, SD: 7.2 years). A 9-item questionnaire, using a 4-point scale to assess common clinical scenarios, was administered at four time points: pre-intervention, immediately after, 1 month after, and 6 months after the intervention. Changes in scores were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Regarding the degree of impatience, scores for impatience caused by others (e.g., doctors and nurses) decreased significantly immediately after (Z = 2.38, p < 0.05, r = 0.59), at 1 month (Z = 2.12, p < 0.05, r = 0.53), and at 6 months (Z = 3.01, p < 0.01, r = 0.75). Impatience due to time constraints decreased significantly only immediately after the intervention (Z = 2.76, p < 0.01, r = 0.69). Impatience related to patients showed significant reductions at 1 month (Z = 2.62, p < 0.01, r = 0.66) and at 6 months (Z = 2.35, p < 0.05, r = 0.59). Regarding the impact on performance, impatience caused by others decreased significantly immediately post-intervention (Z = 2.31, p < 0.05, r = 0.58) and at 1 month (Z = 2.13, p < 0.05, r = 0.53). Time-related impact decreased significantly at all post-intervention time points (immediately after: Z = 2.97, p < 0.01, r = 0.74; 1 month: Z = 2.12, p < 0.05, r = 0.53; 6 months: Z = 2.13, p < 0.05, r = 0.53). No significant changes were observed in the impact of patient-related impatience. All significant effects demonstrated large effect sizes (r) according to Cohen's criteria. A group-work intervention focused on the emotional regulation of impatience may be effective in reducing both impatience and its impact on the duties of RTs. These findings suggest that such interventions could contribute to improved patient safety and enhanced professional well-being.