Nurses make mistakes every day due to cognitive overload. Nurse leaders have a responsibility to recognize signs of cognitive overload in clinicians and take active measures to reduce cognitive burden and its consequences.
My 2019 CNO Perspective shows nurse leaders how to create a safer, more effective work environment and:
- Recognize the signs of cognitive overload, especially behaviors with potential to impact quality and safety
- Employ strategies to reduce nurses’ cognitive load
- Understand how cognitive load becomes overload – and solve for its causes
Reducing cognitive burden for nurses helps create a more satisfying work environment and fosters well-being and retention. This is a report about understanding the problem and how to take specific, achievable steps to solve it.