Today’s Culture of Distraction

◾ The meticulous and painstaking thoroughness with which the needs of patients are attended to through what an organization does, says, or how its staff conducts itself ◾ The consistency of work quality and compliance with standards, requirements, and expectations ◾ A heightened ability to detect, anticipate, or catch inadequacies, mistakes, and/or to address areas and issues that may not even occur to the patient to ask about

Every patient encounter is a collection of details. At the heels of every triumph lies an immeasurable layer of details. In the words of Gary Ryan Blair, “Although we measure our lives in years, we live them in days, hours, minutes, and seconds.”

Organizations that have mastered the science of ATD embrace a deliberate, even obsessive intolerance for mediocrity or failure, as well as a passion for completeness. By paying ATD, an organization delights, assures, reassures, clarifies, enlightens, and illuminates the many impulses invoked by the service experience. Perhaps the most significant benefits of ATD are that they build trust, customer loyalty, and an army of disciples for an organization’s services. ATD reaffirms patients’ belief in an organization’s commitment to handle not just the seemingly inconsequential, but also the desperately vital. When you have a history of ATD, your most critical patients will passionately defend and forgive your imperfections because they happen so infrequently.

When a company demonstrates a history of ATD, the majority of its customers reach the following conclusions:

◾ A company that obsesses over the little things must truly care about its customers ◾ A company that obsesses over the little things and the seemingly inconsequential must be capable of taking care of the big things ◾ To obsess over the little things means that you possess good-quality products and services

Distraction is the enemy of ATD. Today’s modern devices and digital conveniences—from the web and social media to smartphones and

tablets—may be making society more distracted and less able to concentrate. The incessant demands of cell phones and social media, not to mention email and other forms of distraction may be making it difficult for us to connect with patients that value ATD. These distractions may be inhibiting the ability to think about anything other than the next jolt of stimulation from the devices all around us. We discount real human connections when our digital devices take precedence over the patients right in front of us. According to Bloomberg, 8 billion texts are sent each day, and a large number of them are now being sent from and received in the workplace. In a world increasingly saturated with appealing distractions, the dangers of losing focus and the resulting inattention to detail are quite real to today’s healthcare customers.

Just like other workplace distractions such as chattering with coworkers, horseplay, or having one’s mind on something other than the present task, being distracted by the phone also causes one to lose focus on the job at hand. Using phones to do such things as watch TV, stay updated on news and social media, and play video games affects our production level.

Hospitals, nursing homes, and clinics all face the increasing challenge of divided attention. The attention of care providers is divided between the needs of patients for undivided attention and the ubiquitous, beckoning calls of text and email alerts. Society has become increasingly dependent on technology to fill every unoccupied moment during work and relaxation. The combined effects of extensive digital multitasking and speed of interaction are creating a healthcare workforce driven by a continuously increasing need for more stimuli, a significantly decreased attention span, and the ability to focus. Restrooms and hallways of healthcare organizations are filled with employees sneaking out to read or send text messages during business hours. Look closely around any workspace, and one will promptly notice the ubiquitous presence of a mobile device waiting patiently to be consulted by its owner. The sounds of beeps and alerts interrupt the quiet of care delivery on nursing floors.

It takes a highly disciplined employee to ignore the persistent invitation of a mobile device. According to the FCC, the popularity of mobile devices has had unintended and even dangerous consequences. We now know that mobile communications are linked to a significant increase in workplace distractions as well as distracted driving, resulting in injury and loss of life. For many teens and even adults, it is particularly frightening to know that these devices stay perpetually on. From the millions of texts that often run through the night and the on-demand access to music to the obsession with