Managing interruptions to improve diagnostic decision-making: strategies and recommended research agenda.

Jennifer F Sloane; Chris Donkin; Ben R Newell; Hardeep Singh; Ashley N. D Meyer

Commentary

Managing interruptions to improve diagnostic decision-making: strategies and recommended research agenda.

March 29, 2023

Sloane JF, Donkin C, Newell BR, et al. J Gen Intern Med. 2023;38(6):1526-1531.

View more articles from the same authors.

Interruptions during diagnostic decision-making and clinical tasks can adversely impact patient care. This article reviews empirically-tested strategies from healthcare and cognitive psychology that can inform future research on mitigating the effects of interruptions during diagnostic decision-making. The authors highlight strategies to minimize the negative impacts of interruptions and strategies to prevent distractions altogether; in addition, they propose research priorities within the field of diagnostic safety.

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