Integrative Literature Review on Cognitive Science to Reconsider Failure to Rescue in Nursing: A Call to Action

Area of Science:

• Nursing Science
• Cognitive Psychology
• Patient Safety

Background:

• High nurse workload can lead to omissions of critical patient monitoring tasks.
• The cognitive resource theory of vigilance, used in other high-risk fields, is underutilized in nursing failure to rescue research.
• A cognitive science framework is needed to address nursing failure to rescue.

Approach:

• A literature review of nursing failure to rescue was conducted.
• The review utilized the cognitive resource theory of vigilance as a guiding framework.
• Fifteen articles meeting inclusion criteria were analyzed.

Key Points:

• Clinical judgment is closely linked to failure to rescue.
• The cognitive resource theory of vigilance is implicitly referenced in existing literature.
• Simulation-based education and managing caregiver fatigue are important considerations.
• Caregiver fatigue impacts vigilance and patient safety.

Conclusions:

• Integrating cognitive science principles can enhance patient management strategies.
• Applying cognitive science can decrease nursing failure to rescue incidents.
• Improving nursing cognitive task efficiency is a key outcome.