Relationships of multitasking, physicians' strain, and performance: an observational study in ward physicians.
Weigl M, Müller A, Sevdalis N, et al. Relationships of multitasking, physicians' strain, and performance: an observational study in ward physicians. J Patient Saf. 2013;9(1):18-23. doi:10.1097/PTS.0b013e31826b7b87.
Symptoms of burnout are significantly more common among physicians compared with the general population. This German time-and-motion study found that multitasking is common among hospital physicians and that time spent multitasking is associated with greater psychological strain. Interestingly, multitasking physicians self-reported superior performance, indicating that physicians may lack insight into the correlation between workload and burnout.