Project Overview

The site reports three studies. In an initial observational study, we followed several Emergency Room physicians during a two-hour period while they were on shift, noting the frequency, source, and nature of the interruptions they experienced and noting how the pattern of interruptions varied as a function of seniority in the unit.

We further studied the potential cost and benefits of relevant interruptions in two experiments that utilized a complex simulation program that allowed us to record a player’s moment-by-moment activity over the course of 100 minutes. In the detective simulation study, undergraduates came into the lab and attempted to solve multiple, complex crime scenarios in parallel. Players were forced to frequently move from case to case, and we varied whether relevant interruptions were provided to alert players to the availability of new, critical information.

The second simulation experiment involved physician and advanced medical student participants, who attempted to treat multiple simulated ER patients in parallel. Again, half the participants did this with occasional relevant interruptions, and half had no interruptions. The scenarios represented typical cases that might be encountered during an ER shift, as well as the frequent need to move from task to task and to temporarily suspend cases.

Several assessments of both local and global effects on performance were made. In general, relevant interruptions improved global performance (increasing efficiency, allowing completion of more critical actions, and supporting higher-level comprehension). This comes at some cost to local efficiency, such that a people are less likely to remember where they left off at the point when an interruption had come in. (See the specific pages for detailed analyses)

These findings can help to guide policy and practice for more effective team communication.