STRESSORS IN THE PHARMACY: AN OBSERVATIONAL STUDY OF INTERRUPTIONS

摘要

Errors in the healthcare field are a significant problem. Interruptions leading to distractions have beenidentified as an important cause of errors. Within the pharmacy, interruptions leading to medicationerrors have received particular attention. Both external and internal sources can cause interruptions,which can distract the pharmacists and the technicians from their tasks. Hence it is important to studyinterruptions, their types, how they are caused, where and when they come from, how long they last,and how pharmacists and technicians feel about them. The objectives of this observational and surveystudy were to: 1) classify interruptions based on the type of interruption and cause, time, location, andduration, 2) identify differences in interruption types, duration and frequency across days of the weekor time of day, and 3) quantify pharmacist perceptions related to workload and stressors (e.g.interruptions) in their work environment, through an employee survey. Results indicate that 64% ofinterruptions were classified as incoming phone calls, and the mean duration of interruptions is 1.14minutes. Further, pharmacists and technicians differ in their perceptions of workload and reported topstressors. Analyzing stressors, including interruptions and their causes, can aid in improving theprocesses and increasing safety within the pharmacy.