Distraction is most often mentioned concerning school children and drivers. Distracted schoolkids are not normally a safety issue, but for doctors, as with drivers, failing to stay focused could put people’s lives at risk.
How do doctors get distracted? To some degree, they face similar distractions to drivers. For example:
- People talking to them or asking them questions
- People ringing or notifications arriving on their phone
- Having other things on their mind, such as an earlier conversation or upcoming interview
They also face some unique challenges.
Distractions doctors need to deal with
While drivers can put their phones away or turn them off while driving, many doctors cannot. Their employer requires them to keep it turned on so that they can contact them if an emergency occurs.
Doctors also have to look at screens when working, which drivers can easily avoid. A doctor may have to pull up patient records or search for information about a particular condition all while talking to a patient. They could easily miss something important the patient says, and that could lead to a misdiagnosis.
Drivers can roll up their windows, ask their passengers to be quiet and so on if they need to concentrate. Doctors may still have considerable background noise, from other staff, patients and members of the public. They cannot just tell everyone to be quiet and they may struggle to block out the noise.
A doctor may not be the only one at fault
Unlike drivers, doctors tend to work in teams. Hospitals should have systems in place that allow colleagues to check each other so that someone can pick up any mistakes a person makes due to distraction before it results in harm to the patient. They also need to consider things like the layout of the hospital to reduce the number of distractions doctors will face.
If you suffer harm due to distracted doctoring it is important to examine both the doctor’s role and that of their employer. It may be that both were at fault and should be liable for paying you compensation.