Design of a Cognitive Model-Based Decision Support Tool for Anesthesiology Crisis Management

Abstract

A decision support tool was developed for use by anesthesia providers in crisis situations. The tool alerts anesthetists to a developing crisis, manifested by changes in patient physiological variables, and provides them with a list of preventive measures for dealing with the crisis. A novel approach to the design of the tool was defined, including: (1) performing a hierarchical task analysis to identify anesthetist procedures in detecting, diagnosing and treating a critical incident; (2) carrying out a cognitive task analysis to elicit goals, decisions, and information requirements of anesthetists during crisis management procedures; (3) coding of natural language information recorded in the task analyses in a computational GOMS (goals, operators, methods, selection rules) cognitive model; and (4) prototyping an interface to present output from the cognitive model using ecological interface design principles. A preliminary validation of the tool and interface was performed with anesthesiology and usability experts.

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