Observational studyBMJ open2019
Tasks, multitasking and interruptions among the surgical team in an operating room: a prospective observational study.
Observational study in BMJ open, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07568158 (Carga Cognitiva Intraoperatoria Del Enfermero/a de Anestesia Según la Fase Del Acto Anestésico), which is not on this map. Cited by 32 papers, 2 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.
Carga Cognitiva Intraoperatoria Del Enfermero/a de Anestesia Según la Fase Del Acto Anestésico: Estudio Observacional Con NASA-TLX
Who cites it
32 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 91 citations in OpenAlex.
- Work-related psychosocial risk factors for stress-related mental disorders: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ open · 2020Pooled it
- Clear Vision, Clear Savings: Enhancing Efficiency in Minimally Invasive Surgery.JSLS : Journal of the Society of Laparoendoscopic SurgeonsPooled it
- Putting the pieces together: Clinical judgment from the perspective of registered nurse anaesthetists and anaesthesiologists at tracheal extubations after general anaesthesia.BMC anesthesiology · 2026Article
- Interruptions and multitasking in anaesthesia nursing: a prospective observational study of cognitive strain and workflow patterns.BMJ open quality · 2026Observational
- Artificial intelligence and precision nursing in the operating room: transforming perioperative safety and surgical outcomes.Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology · 2026Review
- Eye-Tracking Analysis of Attention Disruptions Under Realistic Interruptions During Trauma Management; A Cross-sectional Study in a Simulated Virtual Reality.Archives of academic emergency medicine · 2026Article
- Reframing workplace safety, wellbeing, and performance among operating room nurses in contemporary healthcare systems.Frontiers in public health · 2026Review
- Unlocking the key requirements and capabilities for a training app on surgical tools and operating room equipment.BMC surgery · 2025Article
- Surgical interruptions and preventable delays in the operating rooms of academic teaching hospitals.Patient safety in surgery · 2025Article
- Redefining Interruptions: Events, Causes, and Impacts in Trauma Rooms.Journal of patient safety · 2025Article
- Observational
- The Flush Model: A Novel Framework to Manage Surgeons' Mental Fatigue and Cognitive Load.Annals of surgery open : perspectives of surgical history, education, and clinical approaches · 2025Review
- Impact of operating room technology on intra-operative nurses' workload and job satisfaction: An observational study.International journal of nursing studies advances · 2025Article
- The movement of syringes and medication during anesthesiology delivery: An observational study in laparoscopic surgeries.Applied ergonomics · 2024Observational
- Surgical counting interruptions in operating rooms.BMC nursing · 2024Article
- Nurse anaesthetists' experiences of student nurse anaesthetist learning during clinical practice: a qualitative interview study.BMC nursing · 2024Article
- Operating room organization and surgical performance: a systematic review.Patient safety in surgery · 2024Review
- Nontechnical Skills for Intraoperative Team Members.Anesthesiology clinics · 2023Review
- Can gamified surgical sets improve surgical instrument recognition and student performance retention in the operating room? A multi-institutional experimental crossover study.BMC medical education · 2023Article
- Toward ensuring care quality and safety across settings: examining time pressure in a nursing home with observational time motion study metrics based on the Omaha system.Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association : JAMIA · 2023Observational
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 6 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesThe work context of the operating room (OR) is considered complex and dynamic with high cognitive demands. A multidimensional view of the complete preoperative and intraoperative work process of the surgical team in the OR has been sparsely described. The aim of this study was to describe the type and frequency of tasks, multitasking, interruptions and their causes during surgical procedures from a multidimensional perspective on the surgical team in the OR.
designProspective observational study using the Work Observation Method By Activity Timing tool.
settingAn OR department at a county hospital in Sweden.
participantsOR nurses (ORNs) (n=10), registered nurse anaesthetists (RNAs) (n=8) and surgeons (n=9).
resultsThe type, frequency and time spent on specific tasks, multitasking and interruptions were measured. From a multidimensional view, the surgical team performed 64 tasks per hour. Communication represented almost half (45.7%) of all observed tasks. Concerning task time, direct care dominated the surgeons' and ORNs' intraoperative time, while in RNAs' work, it was intra-indirect care. In total, 48.2% of time was spent in multitasking and was most often observed in ORNs' and surgeons' work during communication. Interruptions occurred 3.0 per hour, and the largest proportion, 26.7%, was related to equipment. Interruptions were most commonly followed by professional communication.
conclusionsThe surgical team constantly dealt with multitasking and interruptions, both with potential impact on workflow and patient safety. Interruptions were commonly followed by professional communication, which may reflect the interactions and constant adaptations in a complex adaptive system. Future research should focus on understanding the complexity within the system, on the design of different work processes and on how teams meet the challenges of a complex adaptive system. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: 2016/264.
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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.