1. Nurse Attentiveness: Focused, Sidetracked, Derailed or Misplaced?
By: Andrea Platt, RN
Education Consultant
St.Vincent Indianapolis Hospital

2. Objectives
Summarize factors which affect our ability to focus on information and tasks.
Describe the potential impact attention issues have on patient safety.
Discuss possible strategies for managing challenges to attentiveness.

3. Merriam-Webster Definition of ATTENTION!
the act or state of applying the mind to something.
a condition of readiness for such attention involving especially a selective narrowing or focusing of consciousness and receptivity.

4. Inattentional Blindness

5. What Captures Our Attention?

7. Processing Information

8. Conspicuity – Sensory & Cognitive
Obviously it means it’s obvious.

9. Sensory

10. “Cocktail Party Effect”
“blah, blah, blah, blah, Andrea, blah, blah, hehehehehehe..”
“Cocktail Party Effect”

11. Mental Workload

12. Multitasking Exercise

13. Occurs when part of our attention is devoted to a secondary task
Mental Workload
Occurs when part of our attention is devoted to a secondary task

14. WHODUNNIT

15. Auditory Attention & Visual Inattentional Blindness
Study by:
Silvia Pizzighello & Paola Bressan

16. Ability to focus your attention
Capacity
Ability to focus your attention

17. Attention & Patient Safety
Interruptions / Distractions

18. Definition of Interrupt Merriam-Webster
To stop or hinder by breaking in.
To break the uniformity or continuity of

19. Definition of Distract Merriam-Webster
To turn aside
To draw or direct (as one’s attention) to a different object or in different directions at the same time

20. “Going blank…” article Linda McGillis Hall et. al.
“Through a range of studies there is sufficient evidence to suggest that a workplace where staff are constantly interrupted, or asked to switch tasks, is one where there is a greater propensity towards adverse events and corresponding diminished patient safety.”

21. An interruption driven profession

22. Sources Other nurses or health care staff Self Environment Patient
Family member/visitors

23. Types
Distractions
Intrusions
Discrepancies
Breaks

24. Potential Causes Communications: questions and information
Need for help
Small talk
Environmental Noise: Alarms, Pagers
Patient needs
Telephone
Waiting for / searching for patient and/or supplies

25. Activity Interrupted Patient assessments or procedures Documentation
Medication administration
Communicating/consulting about a patient
Less frequently: performing housekeeping or clerical work.

26. Outcomes - Potential Delay in treatment Loss of concentration or focus
Positive
Staff frustrations / ineffectiveness

27. Possible Strategies for Managing Attentiveness

28. Leader Strategies Interruption awareness Orientation – new hires
Staff
Interprofessional team
Patients & Visitors
Orientation – new hires
Managing interruptions at critical times
Documentation
Medication Prep/Admin
Procedures
Patient Assessment

29. You now have my undivided attention
Questions & Answers
You now have my undivided attention

30. Nurse Attentiveness: Focused, Sidetracked, Derailed or Misplaced?
By: Andrea Platt, RN
Education Consultant
St.Vincent Indianapolis Hospital