Mitigation of interruption effects on delivery of routine high-risk medical procedures through the design and implementation of effective intervention

The lack of multisite and comprehensive data suggests that the extent and the severity of the risks associated with interruptions on medical error are unknown. [...] Methods A combination of lab, clinical observations and focus group sessions were conducted to (1) identify the current state of interruptions and the impact they have on workflow and patient safety, (2) develop interventions to reduce the negative effects of interruptions, (3) evaluate the effectiveness of the interventions, and (4) assess the applicability of interventions in different cancer ce [...] The central premise of involving healthcare providers in the development of mitigation interventions is that the best-designed solutions result from understanding the needs of the people who will use them. [...] The fourth phase of the present research consisted of assessing the effectiveness of these interventions in terms of facilitating nurses’ adherence to best practice principles when administering medications. [...] The errors and effect of interruptions in Study #2 were compared to those in Study #1 to determine the efficacy of the interruption mitigation inventions employed.