To the Editor: Recent articles in the Journal describing endeavours to measure and classify the tasks of doctors are indicative of the re-emergence of work analysis and time and motion studies.1,2
The full article is accessible to AMA members and paid subscribers. Login to read more or purchase a subscription now.
Please note: institutional and Research4Life access to the MJA is now provided through Wiley Online Library.
- 1. Westbrook JI, Ampt A, Kearney L, Rob MI. All in a day’s work: an observational study to quantify how and with whom doctors on hospital wards spend their time. Med J Aust 2008; 188: 506-509. <MJA full text>
- 2. Zhu JN, Weiland TJ, Taylor DM, Dent AW. An observational study of emergency department intern activities. Med J Aust 2008; 188: 514-519. <MJA full text>
- 3. Mackay M, Castle P. Building better work. Measuring what gets done: a task analysis approach for the health sector. Adelaide: South Australian Department of Health, 2007. http://www.publications.health.sa.gov.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1001&context=wplan (accessed Aug 2008).
- 4. Fine SA, Harvey RJ, Cronshaw SF. FJA strategies for addressing O*NET limitations in a post-DOT environment. In: Fleishman, EA (Chair). Things, data and people: fifty years of a seminal theory. Proceedings of the 19th annual conference of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology; Chicago, 2004. http://www.siop.org/Conferences/04Con/Program/saturday_am.aspx (accessed Aug 2008).
- 5. Moore FI. Functional job analysis — guidelines for task analysis and job design. Geneva: World Health Organization, 1999.
- 6. Mackay M, Castle P. The development of a workforce tracking tool — gaining insight to influence the future workforce [abstract]. Proceedings of the 5th Health Services and Policy Research Conference; 2007 Dec 2-5; Auckland, New Zealand. Sydney: Health Services Research Association of Australia and New Zealand, 2007: 55. (Abstract No. 37.) http://www.hsraanz.org (accessed Jun 2008).
Online responses are no longer available. Please refer to our instructions for authors page for more information.
Pam Castle and Mark Mackay were formerly employed by the South Australian Department of Health. They conducted the research mentioned in this letter during their employment with the Department.