NPSF Research Projects and Principal Investigators

Interruptions in the Emergency Room
Nancy Franklin, PhD, Stony Brook University
This project will address the interruptions in the Emergency Room through an ER-based observational study and two laboratory-based controlled experiments.  The project will consider what is known about the dynamics of the ER (including work from systematic observations the team has conducted at SBU Hospital) and the more fundamental principles of working memory and prospective memory.  The research team suggests that in a work environment that requires multi-tasking, interruptions might serve as critical and well-timed reminders to complete an unfinished task. The proper goal, they suggest, may be an environment in which interruptions are not eliminated, but expertly managed by well-trained personnel who understand how to quickly prioritize incoming tasks. The team also suggests that while interruptions are certainly not always helpful, in the ER where interruptions often signal the appropriate time to return to a previously suspended task, limited working memory and the inherent uncertainty of the work environment may render them necessary.

NPSF Board Grant:

Knowledge Discovery: The development of an error/solution matrix to improve patient safety
Harold S. Kaplan, MD, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
The goal of this research project is to turn medical event data into information and actionable solution knowledge.  This project will glean error-reduction strategies from an existing, untapped repository within a medical event reporting system and will create a methodology for linking errors that cause medical events with effective error reduction strategies.  The methodology will be based on the well-established method of TRIZ (a Russian acronym meaning “Theory of Inventive Problem-Solving). This project will lead to new applications of human and design-based error reduction strategies, often collectively called mistake-proofing, in healthcare.

Past Grant Awards