A Cognitive Load Theory Simulation Design to Assess and Manage Deteriorating Patients

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Cognitive Psychology
• Simulation-Based Learning

Background:

• Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) optimizes educational design by considering working memory limitations.
• Minimizing extraneous cognitive load enhances learning of new tasks and application of existing knowledge.
• CLT principles are applicable to simulation design in healthcare education.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of low-fidelity simulation (LFS) informed by CLT principles.
• To assess the impact of this simulation method on the assessment and management of the deteriorating patient (AMDP).

Main Methods:

• Undergraduate nursing students (n=13) participated in a pre-post design study.
• CLT design principles guided the selection and development of LFS scenarios.
• Self-rated ability in seven aspects of AMDP was measured before and after the simulation.

Main Results:

• Significant improvement in self-rated ability from 2.98 to 4.47 (p < 0.001).
• Improvements were observed across all measured aspects of AMDP.
• Low-fidelity simulation demonstrated positive outcomes for learning AMDP.

Conclusions:

• CLT-informed simulation design enhances learning in healthcare education.
• LFS may be a more effective method than high-fidelity simulation for teaching AMDP to novice learners.
• This study supports the use of CLT principles in developing effective medical simulation for nurses.