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. 2024 Jul 17;66(1):e1-e8.
doi: 10.4102/safp.v66i1.5957.

The extent of interruptions to primary care medical officers' consultations in the Western Cape

Tsepo S Motsohi  1 , Bob Mash, Michael Pather, Louis Jenkins, Paul Kapp, Johannes F Schoevers, Mumtaz Abbas, Leigh Wagner, Salome Froneman, Stefanie Perold, Gavin D Hendricks
Affiliations

The extent of interruptions to primary care medical officers' consultations in the Western Cape

Tsepo S Motsohi et al. S Afr Fam Pract (2004). .

Abstract

Background: Administrative tasks are an increasing burden for primary care doctors globally and linked to burnout. Many tasks occur during consultations. They cause interruptions with possible effects on patients' and doctors' experiences and care. The burden and typology of interruptions of doctors in primary care consultations have not been studied in South Africa. Given the link between administrative loads and burnout, describing the extent of these interruptions would help. This study's aim was to assess the extent of interruptions on primary care doctors in the Western Cape.

Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional survey. Doctors from rural and urban primary care clinics in the Western Cape answered an online self-administered survey on the types of interruptions experienced during consultations. Interruptions were categorised and their prevalence calculated. Clinical and non-clinical interruption categories were compared.

Results: There were 201 consultations from 30 doctors. Most interruptions were from retrieving and recording the current patient's information (93.0%), paperwork for other patients (50.7%), and telephone calls about the current patient (41.8%). Other prevalent interruptions were for emergencies (39.8%) and acquiring consumables (37.3%). The median (interquartile range [IQR]) of four (2-4) interruption types per consultation was higher than global settings.

Conclusion: Doctors experienced many interruptions during consultations. Their wide range included interruptions unrelated to the current patient.Contribution: This study adds insights from the global south on clinicians' administrative burden. It elaborates on the types of activities that interrupt consultations in an upper-middle income primary care setting. Exploration of interventions to decrease this burden is suggested.

Keywords: Western Cape rural and urban health; clinic doctors; cognitive load; consultation interruptions; primary care administrative burden of medical officers.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no financial or personal relationship(s) that may have inappropriately influenced them in writing this article.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Prevalence of interruptions by consultations (N = 201).
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Prevalence of interruptions by categories (N = 198).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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