Table 3.
Types of operational failure captured in the time-motion data
| The category of failure | Instances, n | Proportion of total operational failures (95% CI) | Time consumeda | Proportion of total time consumed by operational failures (95% CI) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interruption due to other staff entering consultation room | 114 | 29.8 (25.2 to 34.3) | 2:37:16 | 28.4 (23.9 to 33.0) |
| Interruption due to other interactions with colleagues about patients | 74 | 19.3 (15.4 to 23.3) | 1:38:37 | 17.8 (14.0 to 21.7) |
| Interruption due to incoming work-related phone calls | 43 | 11.2 (8.1 to 14.4) | 1:10:51 | 12.8 (9.5 to 16.2) |
| Missing equipment or supplies | 36 | 9.4 (6.5 to 12.3) | 0:37:07 | 6.7 (4.2 to 9.2) |
| Problems with computers, technology, electronic health record | 33 | 8.6 (5.8 to 11.4) | 1:18:18 | 14.2 (10.7 to 17.7) |
| Interruption with request for paperwork: prescribing, reading/writing letters, actioning tasks | 29 | 7.6 (4.9 to 10.2) | 0:21:58 | 4.0 (2.0 to 5.9) |
| Interruption due to interactions with colleagues about processes | 23 | 6.0 (3.6 to 8.4) | 0:26:44 | 4.8 (2.7 to 7.0) |
| Other unclassified interruptions to the consultation | 23 | 6.0 (3.6 to 8.4) | 0:55:35 | 10.1 (7.0 to 13.1) |
| Interruptions due to personal interactions | 6 | 1.6 (0.3 to 1.2) | 0:05:25 | 1.0 (0.0 to 2.0) |
| Teaching-related interruptionsb | 2 | 0.5 (−0.2 to 1.2) | 0:00:58 | 0.2 (−0.2 to 0.6) |
| Total | 383c | 100 | 9:12:49 | 100 |
a
Recorded in hours, minutes, seconds.
b
Teaching-related interruptions relate to GP registrars or medical students interrupting a GP mid-consultation for help with a patient they were seeing themselves.
c
Exceeds the number of tasks for operational failures and interruptions (n = 381) in Table 2 because of some instances including >2 subcategories.