The effects of bleeps on medical on-call doctors’ workflow and work efficiency

PATIENT SAFETY within 60 minutes.14% of bleeps were directed at incorrect doctors and had to be redirected.The return rate of bleep log was incomplete, but our data is consistent with similar published data. 2,4 ConclusionWhile bleeps are a reliable and effective means of recruiting clinicians to urgent or emergency tasks, using bleeps for non-urgent tasks may compromise the coordinated work of groups of clinicians.Just under half of bleeps received by out-of-hours medical doctors in this study were for non-urgent tasks.Interruption of post-take ward rounds and unscheduled patient reviews reflects a significant opportunity cost for the current system.We plan to generate updated guidance for non-emergency bleeps, to whom they should be directed and how to minimise ward round interruptions and incorrectly-directed bleeps.We will also supplement the quantitative data with users' perspectives, to help build a strategy to optimise out-of-hours clinical communication.