AB085. Distraction in operating room “The hidden scourge of our time”

Background: Distraction as defined by Merriam-Webster dictionary online (2014) is “having ones’ attention directed or drawn to a different object or to a different direction at the same time”.

Methods: Operating rooms are complex working environments where highly skilled and often cognitive interventions are taking place. It comprises various personnel with different skills and knowledge mix carrying out various functions. These they do with the aim of accomplishing tasks of making patients better. Within these interactions and actions, distractions can occur which can interfere with the surgical workflow, these as noted can be detrimental to the clinical performance (Antoniadis et al., 2014).

Results: The impact of distractions can be influenced by multiple factors such as the agent of distraction themselves, the primary task and the environment, the teams’ general observations suggest that distraction may be quite prevalent in our settings where most of our staff have been working together for a considerably longer period and could have developed a kind of bond with each other.

Conclusions: Several researchers have linked distraction as a potential threat to patient safety (Feil 2014, White 2015, Lynch et al. 2009). As a patient safety issue, it is therefore of paramount importance for all institutions to take measures to mitigate against the potential impact of distractions, thereby reducing risks of harm to the patients and thus providing care that is of the highest quality.

Keywords: Distraction; operating; theatre