O Impacto das Multitarefas em Contexto Hospitalar: Uma Revisão Sistemática

Abstract

The performance of multitasking work in a hospital context is a reality today. Its impact on the employees' attention span is, however, unknown. Objective: Understand if the exposure to multitasking could imply a reduction in the attention capacity of hospital staff in the medium and long term. Methods: 25 databases were searched in the areas of health, economics, management, industry and psychology. It covered the period between 2010 and 2021. Since no studies were found that relate multitasking with attention, it was decided to understand the impact of multitasking on hospital workers, both at a clinical and management level. Results: 110 results were produced, of which 5 studies were eligible. Almost half of the working time is spent multitasking. Several studies have shown evidence of an association between multitasking and the frequency of clinical errors. Multitasking was associated with risk for patients and health professionals, variation in diagnostic success, productivity and quality of services provided. Conclusion: Given the lack of articles found in the research carried out, it was not possible to draw conclusions about the impact of multitasking on the attention capacity of hospital employees. The impact of multitasking and interruptions in work processes can be positive, negative or neutral, being able to interrupt and, at the same time, sustain safe patient care, so they must be accepted and carried out, consciously, when necessary, given the complexity the hospital context. Further studies on the impact of multitasking in the hospital context are suggested, namely on the capacity for attention