Impact of Acoustic Distraction and Overcrowding on Cognitive Performance of Healthcare Professionals

Abstract

Overcrowding and acoustic distraction often affect the cognitive performance of healthcare professionals. They often find it very disrupting and challenging to focus on their tasks because of the chaotic work environment. Health camps are a time-constrained affair, and the healthcare experts have no control over the work environment. They face a higher rate of interruption in the health camps when compared to their usual clinical settings. These trigger a sense of anxiety in their already demanding workload. The current research investigates how overcrowding and acoustic distractions escalate cognitive load among healthcare professionals. A field study was carried out in seven (07) different health campsites, and the perspectives of Thirty-seven (37) healthcare professionals were captured. A walkthrough survey, interview, and questionnaire were used in the study. Most of the respondents mentioned that they undergo intense stress and distraction due to the demanding nature of work at the health camps. Congestion of the patients at the health camps and acoustic distractions hampers their ability to work optimally. Lack of patient management system and uncontrollable physical work environment disrupts the professionals throughout the health camp. The results provide insight into how acoustic distraction and overcrowding at the health campsites act as barriers to imparting safe and high-quality healthcare. Interventions aimed at reducing the cognitive load and increasing the efficacy of the healthcare workers have been proposed to overcome these barriers.