What do ICU doctors do? A multisite time and motion study of the clinical work patterns of registrars.

Objective: To quantify the time that intensive care unit registrars spend on different work tasks with other health professionals and patients and using information resources, and to compare them with those of clinicians in general wards and the emergency department (ED).

Design, Setting And Participants: A prospective, observational time-and-motion study of two ICUs with a total of 71 beds at two major teaching hospitals in Sydney. Twenty-six registrars were observed between 08:00 and 18:00 on weekdays for a total of 160.