Relationship between Workflow Interruptions on the Occurrence of Nursing Errors Among the Nursing Staff in the Intensive Care Units

Abstract
Background: The environment surrounding ICU nurses has been described as fast-paced and unpredictable, and nurses' cognitive load as exceptionally heavy. Studies of interruptions and multitasking in health care are limited, and most have focused on physicians.
Aim of the Study: The current study was conducted to assess the relationship between workflow interruption and the occurrence of nursing errors among the ICU nurses.
Material and Methods: Design: A descriptive correlational study design was utilized to achieve the aim of the current study. Setting: The study was conducted in 185 new emergency hospital at Al-Kasr Al-Aini Hospital, Cairo University Hospital. Sample: Convenient sample of all available staff nurses, agreed to participate in the study, deliver direct patient care working at the emergency department and Intensive care unit department. The total number of participant were (50) of (60) nurse. Tool: Data was collected by using observational tool to assess the type of interruptions that occur in the selected setting and another observational tool to assess the nursing errors.
Results: The results of the current study revealed that is no statistical relationship between the total interruptions and the occurrence of total errors.
Recommendations: Although there was no significant relationship between interruptions and nursing errors, the results of this study show that nurses' work environment is complex and error prone. The staff nurses that were observed experienced a high level of discontinuity in the execution of their work. Although nurses manage interruptions and multi-tasking well, the potential for errors is present, and strategies to decrease interruptions are needed.