Description:
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<jats:title>INTRODUCTION:</jats:title>
<jats:p>To evaluate whether distraction affects the quality of sign-out among obstetrical providers. If distractions affect the accuracy of information shared at “sign-out,” it could lead to errors in patient management.</jats:p>
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<jats:title>METHODS:</jats:title>
<jats:p>A randomized, prospective study among obstetrical providers who received a recorded sign-out vignette. Provider groups either received a distraction or did not during the vignette. All providers had been told that they would be participating in a trial of two methods of sign out, although in actuality they were all signed out using a single method. In the distraction arm, the participants were exposed to a “distracting event” (a phone ring, followed by a short response) that occurred midway through the vignette. Providers answered a 14-question survey based on the vignette. The results of each group were analyzed using Fisher exact and Student t tests.</jats:p>
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<jats:title>RESULTS:</jats:title>
<jats:p>Eighty-eight providers were randomized, 44 in the distraction group and 44 in the non-distracted group. The score averages on the survey were similar between groups (11.0 and 10.8, <jats:italic toggle="yes">P=</jats:italic>.57). In addition, the average scores for questions that occurred after the distraction were similar between the distracted and non-distracted groups (6.4 vs 6.2, P=.42). Proximity to the distraction did not affect scores.</jats:p>
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<jats:title>CONCLUSION:</jats:title>
<jats:p>While cell phones often ring in hospital settings, we did not find that a single phone ring and a brief answer to the call affected obstetrical providers’ recall of details of a standardized sign-out. More studies are warranted to determine if more frequent distractions or longer distractions would change results.</jats:p>
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