Abstract

Nurses have never before had so much data at the bedside, nor the complex patients and practice environments found in acute care settings today. Processing large amounts of information from multiple sources may result in cognitive overload which may negatively impact patient outcomes. To meet the challenge of improving quality of care, a conceptual model was created to guide research exploring the associations between the cognitive work of nursing, nursing care, and the complex context of the hospital setting. The purpose of this research was to explore the invisible cognitive work of nursing by examining relationships between cognitive load, nursing surveillance and clinical judgment, contextual complexities, and their potential impact on patient care outcomes. Research question 1 examined how simulated increases in intensity of care influenced nurses' cognitive load, clinical judgment, perceived stress, and errors. Research question 2 asked how nurses describe the cognitive work of nursing while engaging in a simulated patient care scenario. A novel multiple-case study design with multiple sources of evidence was used.

Description

This dissertation has also been disseminated through the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. Dissertation/thesis number: 27737206; ProQuest document ID: 2432515882. The author still retains copyright.

Author Details

Laura A. Vasel, PhD, CPNP, Assistant Director of Nursing

Sigma Membership

Pi Gamma

Lead Author Affiliation

Randolph-Macon College, Ashland, Virginia, USA

Type

Dissertation

Format Type

Text-based Document

Study Design/Type

Case Study/Series

Research Approach

Mixed/Multi Method Research

Keywords:

Acute Care, Invisible Work, New to Practice Nurses, Simulation

Advisor

Lanell Bellury

Second Advisor

Patricia Ebright

Third Advisor

Justus Randolph

Degree

PhD

Degree Grantor

Mercer University

Degree Year

2020

Rights Holder

All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.

All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository.

All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.

Review Type

None: Degree-based Submission

Acquisition

Proxy-submission

Date of Issue

2024-05-07

Full Text of Presentation

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