ArticleSurgical endoscopy2011
The effect of distractions in the operating room during endourological procedures.
Article in Surgical endoscopy, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 33 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
33 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 85 citations in OpenAlex.
- Enhancing Surgical Safety and Efficiency: Systematic Review and Single-Arm Meta-Analysis of Surgical Data Recorders.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Pooled it
- Using flow disruptions to understand healthcare system safety: A systematic review of observational studies.Applied ergonomics · 2022Pooled it
- A systematic review of the effect of distraction on surgeon performance: directions for operating room policy and surgical training.Surgical endoscopy · 2016Pooled it
- Evaluating the effect of distractions in the operating room on clinical decision-making and patient safety.Surgical endoscopy · 2016Trial
- Occupational needle stick injuries in a tertiary ophthalmic care setup: An eastern India perspective.Indian journal of ophthalmology · 2026Article
- Noise, Hearing, and Communication in the Operating Room: A Mixed-Methods Study.Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery · 2026Article
- The Effect of Task Demand on EEG Responses to Irrelevant Sound and Speech in Simulated Surgical Environments.Psychophysiology · 2026Article
- Navigating diversions in the obstetric operating room: focusing amidst distractions.AJOG global reports · 2026Article
- Measuring Workflow Interruptions in Endoscopy: Development and Interrater Reliability of a Structured Observation Tool.Endoscopy international open · 2026Article
- Artificial intelligence and precision nursing in the operating room: transforming perioperative safety and surgical outcomes.Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology · 2026Review
- Creating Clarity Amid the Operating Room Clamor: A Mixed Methods Analysis of Noise-Related Barriers and Facilitators to Effective Communication.ORL-head and neck nursing : official journal of the Society of Otorhinolaryngology and Head-Neck Nurses · 2025Article
- Operating room organization and surgical performance: a systematic review.Patient safety in surgery · 2024Review
- Broad Responses and Attitudes to Having Music in Surgery (The BRAHMS Study): An Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand Perspective.Surgery open science · 2024Article
- Effects of wide-angle laparoscopy on surgical workflow in laparoscopic cholecystectomies.Surgical endoscopy · 2023Article
- Comparing complications and perioperative teams in microsurgical breast reconstruction: retrospective cohort study.Gland surgery · 2022Article
- Human-Caused Sound Distractors and their Impact on Operating Room Team Function.World journal of surgery · 2022Article
- Applicability of the Disruptions in Surgery Index in the Cardiovascular Management Scenarios - A Marker for Developing Functionally Efficient Teams.Brazilian journal of cardiovascular surgery · 2021Article
- The effect of intraoperative distractions on severe technical events in laparoscopic bariatric surgery.Surgical endoscopy · 2021Article
- The impact of noise in the operating theatre: a review of the evidence.Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England · 2021Review
- A Concern for Intraoperative Distractions and Interference: An Observational Study Identifying, Measuring, and Quantifying Both within the Operating Theatre.Surgery research and practice · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundProfessionals working in the operating room (OR) are subject to various distractions that can be detrimental to their task performance and the quality of their work. This study aimed to quantify the frequency, nature, and effect on performance of (potentially) distracting events occurring during endourological procedures and additionally explored urologists' and residents' perspectives on experienced ill effects due to distracting factors.
methodsFirst, observational data were collected prospectively during endourological procedures in one OR of a teaching hospital. A seven-point ordinal scale was used to measure the level of observed interference with the main task of the surgical team. Second, semistructured interviews were conducted with eight urologists and seven urology residents in two hospitals to obtain their perspectives on the impact of distracting factors.
resultsSeventy-eight procedures were observed. A median of 20 distracting events occurred per procedure, which corresponds to an overall rate of one distracting event every 1.8 min. Equipment problems and procedure-related and medically irrelevant communication were the most frequently observed causes of interruptions and identified as the most distracting factors in the interviews. Occurrence of distracting factors in difficult situations requiring high levels of concentration was perceived by all interviewees as disturbing and negatively impacting performance. The majority of interviewees (13/15) thought distracting factors impacted more strongly on residents' compared to urologists' performance due to their different levels of experience.
conclusionDistracting events occur frequently in the OR. Equipment problems and communication, the latter both procedure-related and medically irrelevant, have the largest impact on the sterile team and regularly interrupt procedures. Distracting stimuli can influence performance negatively and should therefore be minimized. Further research is required to determine the direct effect of distraction on patient safety.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.