Human Factor Design: Reduction of Cognitive Load and Improved Flexibility With Northwestern Medicine's Labor Link

Physician burnout is a lagging indicator of individual and organizational health. Cognitive load theory provides a framework to understand how inefficient systems amplify the mental burden for clinicians and contribute to drivers of burnout. The medical field has been slow to incorporate human factors and ergonomics in workplace innovation. However, validated measurement tools, such as a System Use-ability Scale (SUS) and the NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX), quantify the cognitive demands of clinical work-place environments, aiding in improving the workplace for clinicians. Obstetricians have high rates of burnout. Our institution developed an application aimed at improving the workflow for an obstetric task. Obstetricians rated the application highly useable via SUS, and components of NASA-TLX demonstrated improved cognitive load. This work illustrates how human-factors design and cognitive ergonomics can address upstream drivers of burnout, a key strategy in system-level priorities to promote clinician well-being.