Which of the following steps taken by the informatics nurse specialist best demonstrates actions that they can take to lessen the cognitive load for the clinician? Group of answer choices
A) Adding additional screens that require acknowledgment of alerts
B) Adding dashboards to show completion rates for interventions
C) Displaying critical data in several places to ensure that it is seen
D) Keeping essential functions while reducing electronic clutter
The correct answer and explanation is:
Correct Answer: D) Keeping essential functions while reducing electronic clutter
Explanation:
The informatics nurse specialist plays an essential role in designing and managing health information systems to support clinical practice. One key responsibility is to reduce the cognitive load on clinicians. Cognitive load refers to the amount of mental effort being used in the working memory. When healthcare providers are overloaded with information or complex interfaces, it can lead to errors, reduced efficiency, and burnout.
The best way to lessen cognitive load is to simplify workflows and interfaces without compromising essential tasks. Option D, “Keeping essential functions while reducing electronic clutter,” directly supports this goal. This action helps clinicians focus on what matters most by removing distractions, unnecessary steps, or redundant information from the system interface. A streamlined interface enables quicker decision-making, improves user satisfaction, and enhances patient safety.
In contrast:
- Option A, “Adding additional screens that require acknowledgment of alerts,” increases the cognitive burden. While alerts are important, requiring acknowledgment through extra screens can interrupt workflow, cause alert fatigue, and distract from patient care.
- Option B, “Adding dashboards to show completion rates for interventions,” may provide useful performance data but does not directly reduce the mental workload. It may even add to it by requiring clinicians to interpret and act on additional visual data.
- Option C, “Displaying critical data in several places to ensure that it is seen,” can create redundancy and confusion. Repetition of information may overwhelm the clinician and increase the risk of misinterpretation or overlooking critical elements.
In summary, reducing electronic clutter while maintaining necessary functions allows for a more focused, intuitive system. This design choice improves efficiency and helps clinicians devote their attention to patient care rather than navigating through unnecessary system complexity.