Undermining success

Colleagues,

Unfortunately, my mom was in the hospital last week. She is doing better now, but we had an interesting experience as we were working through the release process to get her home.
 
We had a wonderful nurse named Joyce who managed the process, which included paperwork, reviewing important points, and showing me how to use some medical equipment. Joyce was awesome. She was fully present for us and radiated positivity – a real lighthouse.
 
However, during the hour, Joyce received about 10 phone calls. She answered each one, and in many of them, she was providing the caller with a discrete piece of information relating to care coordination for a patient.
 
Each time she received a call she had to stop working with us, shift her focus to the caller, answer a question, and then return to what she had been doing. She was used to this, so she seemed to transition fluidly, but I wonder how this impacts her performance and health over the course of a day, of weeks, or of months. 
 
This is an organizational issue. How much time was lost in transition? How much more likely is it that mistakes will be made? What is the impact on the person over time?
 
Is there a leader in a position to change how communication flows within the organization?
 
I hope so. For both Joyce’s sake and for her patients.
 
Do good and be well,
 
Frederick