TIDES: examining the influence of temporal individual differences on multitasking in educational simulation

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Cognitive Psychology
• Healthcare Simulation

Background:

• Multitasking is crucial for nurses in acute care due to complex patient needs.
• Nurses rapidly switch attention among multiple tasks and patients.
• Temporal individual differences, like time perspective, influence decision-making and may impact multitasking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the relationship between temporal individual differences, cognitive workload, and multitasking behaviors in prelicensure nursing students.
• To determine if a balanced time perspective facilitates multitasking in a simulated acute care environment.

Main Methods:

• A one-group repeated measures design was employed with 160 fourth-year nursing students.
• Participants completed simulations of caring for three interactive patient simulators.
• Standardized tests measured temporal individual differences, cognitive workload, and multitasking performance.

Main Results:

• A balanced time perspective correlated with decreased multitasking behaviors (r = -0.17).
• Increased deviation from a balanced time perspective was associated with higher urgency (r = 0.39) and frustration (r = 0.22).
• Standardized test scores were more predictive of multitasking than deviation from balanced time perspective.

Conclusions:

• Nursing students demonstrating effective multitasking tend to have a more balanced time perspective.
• Identifying students' deviation from a balanced time perspective can help educators anticipate needs for multitasking support.
• Integrating time perspective awareness into simulation preparation may enhance senior nursing students' self-awareness and performance.