Beth Boynton’s short video documents a training session this RN consultant conducted with some nurses exploring the nature and effect of constant interruption on their emotional and cognitive well-being (hint: negative). This is a most important issue. I can tell you that nurse understaffing is one root cause of harm (where “root” means patient-family experience/outcome, distinct from the clinical taproot which of course goes deeper…but even that only as deep as an institution’s pockets, eh?). Understaffing/infrequent monitoring have been central to all the elevated risk and harm my family members have experienced in hospitals.
Best I can figure is be kind to nurses (caveat: see my earlier blog post, Don’t Be Nice for a further examination). Yet, don’t let understaffing undermine your resolve when acting as a proxy.