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The effect of cognitive aid design on the perceived usability of critical event cognitive aids
Author(s) -
Clebone Anna,
Burian Barbara K.,
Tung Avery
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
acta anaesthesiologica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.738
H-Index - 107
eISSN - 1399-6576
pISSN - 0001-5172
DOI - 10.1111/aas.13503
Subject(s) - usability , cognition , medicine , decision aids , usable , thematic analysis , workload , applied psychology , computer science , human–computer interaction , qualitative research , psychology , multimedia , psychiatry , social science , alternative medicine , pathology , sociology , operating system
Background Critical events require that clinicians process information and make decisions quickly. To reduce mental workload during such events, cognitive aids have been developed. We have previously observed that designing such aids to facilitate discrete information transfer decreased time to information finding. However, whether clinicians perceive aids designed for discrete information transfer as more usable than step‐by‐step designs remains unclear. We hypothesized that experimental cognitive aids designed for discrete information transfer would be judged more usable than step‐by‐step Linear aids. Methods Volunteer clinicians were asked to use cognitive aids during low fidelity simulation scenarios. Experimental cognitive aids featuring color‐coded, labeled, and consistently located content clusters were compared with aids formatted in a traditional step‐by‐step fashion. We then performed a quantitative assessment of perceived usability and conducted structured knowledge elicitation interviews. Results Clinicians rated the two experimental cognitive aids as more usable than the Linear aid. On a 0‐100 scale the median (IQR) rating was 25(18,23) for the Linear aid and 89(80,95) and 81(65,90) for the two experimental designs, respectively, with a higher number indicating greater ease of use ( P < .01 for each). Narrative responses suggested specific features that improved usability and a thematic analysis identified six major themes driving preference for cognitive aid use. Conclusion During simulated critical events, cognitive aids designed for discrete information transfer were considered more usable than step by step Linear aids. Specific themes governing usability were identified during mixed methods analysis. Further work is needed to optimize cognitive aid use among anesthesia clinicians.