Mental Workload and Handover in Paramedics and Paramedicine Students Following Simulated Emergency Responses: Pilot...

Area of Science:

• Emergency medicine
• Paramedicine
• Human factors psychology

Background:

• Effective patient handover is critical for emergency care outcomes.
• High mental workload during emergency responses can compromise information retention for paramedics.
• This study investigates the impact of mental workload and experience on paramedic handover performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine how mental workload during simulated emergencies affects handover performance in paramedics and students.
• To assess the influence of clinical experience on this relationship.
• To explore physiological responses as indicators of arousal.

Main Methods:

• A mixed factorial design with simulated emergency cases (high/low workload).
• Participants included paramedicine students and experienced paramedics.
• Verbal handovers, subjective workload, and physiological measures (heart rate, HRV) were recorded.

Main Results:

• A significant interaction between workload and experience on handover performance was found.
• Paramedicine students recalled fewer details after high-workload scenarios; experienced paramedics were less affected.
• Physiological data showed increased arousal during patient care, but movement artifacts limited interpretation.

Conclusions:

• Preliminary findings suggest paramedicine students are more vulnerable to workload-induced memory deficits during handovers.
• Larger studies are warranted to confirm these effects.
• Paramedicine training should incorporate strategies for managing mental workload and improving information retention in high-stress situations.