Understanding how clinical work affects mental strain and mistakes
Official title: Integrating real-time clinical activity and behavioral responses for characterizing cognitive load and errors (IGNITE)
Funded at Washington University · NIH-10894033 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is looking at how things like patient complexity and electronic health records affect how much mental effort healthcare providers have to use, with the goal of making their jobs easier and improving the care you receive.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Washington University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Saint Louis, United States) |
| Project start | September 30, 2022 |
| Project end | July 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2024 |
| Award (this year) | $400,000 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HS029020-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-10894033 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research include patients receiving care from clinicians who frequently use electronic health records in complex clinical environments.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who are not receiving care in settings that utilize electronic health records may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research investigates how various factors in clinical care, such as the complexity of patients and the use of electronic health records (EHRs), impact the cognitive load experienced by healthcare providers. By analyzing real-time data from EHR audit logs, the study aims to objectively measure the relationship between cognitive load and errors in clinical settings. This approach seeks to reduce the reliance on self-reported surveys and provide a clearer understanding of how clinician workload affects patient outcomes. Ultimately, the goal is to improve clinician well-being and enhance patient care through better management of cognitive load.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to improved clinician performance and better patient outcomes by reducing errors associated with high cognitive load.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has shown promise in using EHR audit logs to assess clinician workload and its effects, indicating that this approach may lead to meaningful insights.
Where this research is happening
-
Washington University
Saint Louis, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kannampallil, Thomas George — Washington University
- Study coordinator: Kannampallil, Thomas George
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.