The Association Between Multitasking and Multi-Patient Care Skills in a Simulated Patient Care Video Game Among Second Year Medical Students Based on Specialty Choice

Abstract

Background and Objective

Healthcare providers require multitasking and multi-patient care skills, and training programs do not formally incorporate curricula specifically for multitasking skills to trainees. The medical education community is in equipoise on whether multitasking ability is a fixed trait. Furthermore, it is unclear whether multitasking ability affects those who gravitate toward careers that demand it, particularly among medical students deciding on a specialty. We sought to define the association between specialty choice, multitasking abilities and multi-patient care delivery among pre-clinical medical students. For this study, we examined both efficiency and accuracy metrics within multitasking and whether they were different between students choosing specialties.

Methods

This was a planned cross-sectional sub-study focused on 2nd year medical students (MS-IIs) within a parent study evaluating multi-patient care skills using a serious game (VitalSigns:ED^TM) depicting a pediatric emergency department. Subjects completed a Multitasking Ability Test (MTAT) and five VitalSigns:ED gameplays. The predictor variable was specialty choice, categorized into multitasking and non-multitasking groups. Outcome variables measuring efficiency and diagnostic accuracy were obtained from the MTAT and the game. The primary analysis was a Mann–Whitney U test, and secondary analyses employed Spearman Rank correlations.

Results

Twelve students applied to multitasking specialties and 18 applied to others. Those in the multitasking specialties had faster MTAT completions than the other cohort (29.8 vs. 59.7 sec, 95%CI difference -0.9 to -39.8 sec). Differential diagnoses were higher in multitasking specialties in VitalSigns:ED (2.03 vs. 1.06, 95%CI difference +0.05 to +1.54) but efficiency metrics in the game did not differ.

Conclusion

Multitasking and multi-patient care performance show some association with preferred specialty choices for MS-IIs prior to clinical exposure.