Cognition in Nurse Triage at a Health Clinic

INTRODUCTION The prevalent use of computer systems in medical settings is part of a general shift in medicine towards the digitization of information and the incorporation of digital technologies into medical practice (Heath & Luff 2003). In the U.S., this shift has significant institutional support including incentives for the purchase of Electronic Medical Record (EMR) systems, the implementation of health information exchange programs, and investment in research and development of health information systems (HITECH 2009). Such political and technological changes are likely to have significant effects for health care delivery and workflow in settings like hospitals and clinics (Hazelhurst 2008). In high-stakes medical environments where safety and efficiency are critical, it is important to understand the organization and context of care delivery when implementing institutional and technological changes to support and encourage quality care (Hazelhurst 2008, Franklin 2011). Unfortunately as Heath and Luff report, there is a “growing recognition that we know little about the ways in which people use mundane artefacts in ordinary situations, let alone complex computer systems.”