Our data and that of the healthcare industry in general reveal that most often, multiple issues contribute to a medical error. Human factors, such as time constraints, fatigue, distractions, reliance on memory, and task overload may lead staff to take short cuts or pay less attention to detail. The science of human factors tells us that “just trying harder” does not prevent errors.  Identifying those tasks at risk and implementing a backup plan for known situations in which human factors could result in an error and patient harm is paramount in a patient safety environment. 

A practice tip from one of your colleagues in the field involves identifying those tasks at high risk, the human factors that contribute to errors when performing those tasks, and cross-training appropriate staff so that they can step in and help out in periods of high-volume when errors are likely to occur and patient satisfaction is likely to suffer.

The task at risk that they identified is during periods of heavy patient phone call volume, such as during flu season, when staff members are ripe for task overload. As task overload increases, performance decreases and errors are more likely to occur. This creates a situation in which:

û  Important information may not be communicated to the patient or physician, resulting in a delay in or failure to receive care

û  Time constraints may contribute to poor documentation or lack of documentation of telephone discussions which can adversely impact the defense of a malpractice claim 

û  Patients may become frustrated with lengthy hold times

During these times, the team member responsible for taking calls and scheduling appointments can, and is expected to, ask for backup assistance. Another appropriately trained team member will then assist with taking calls and scheduling appointments as well; this is facilitated by the backup individual having access to the same phone capabilities and electronic scheduling systems as the team member that requested the backup. Eliminating the need for taking messages and calling patients back goes a long way to improve patient safety, increase service excellence and advance office efficiency.

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