Effects of Multitasking on Doctors’ Ability to Diagnose
Human Factors and Ergonomics SocietyPhysicians may be able to complete simple tasks concurrently while diagnosing a patient without affecting the accuracy or speed of diagnoses, human factors researchers have suggested, based on the findings of a recent laboratory experiment. Complex tasks, however, that require tapping into memory appear to slow the decision-making process, resulting in measurable delays in completing the diagnoses.