Quiet Space is Needed for Thinking

Deborah Lathrop

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Jul-Aug 2013 Issue

LETTERS

Quiet space is needed for thinking

Fam Pract Manag. 2013 Jul-Aug;20(4):6.

The article “Redesigning Your Work Space to Support Team-Based Care” [March/April 2013] presented many good ideas, but I disagree with the practice's decision to do away with private offices. Physicians and other clinical staff often need quiet space (and time) to think. Interruptions and noise can increase medical errors, and too often these team-based office configurations do not provide an opportunity for uninterrupted quiet thought so that all personnel, including physicians, can be efficient and avoid errors. When this idea can be integrated into team-based settings, we will truly have a sustainable model.

Deborah Lathrop, MD

Madison, Wis.

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