Assuntos
Delírio/terapia , Oncologia/normas , Neoplasias/complicações , Adulto , Idoso , Analgésicos Opioides/efeitos adversos , Protocolos de Quimioterapia Combinada Antineoplásica/efeitos adversos , Antipsicóticos/uso terapêutico , Dor do Câncer/tratamento farmacológico , Dor do Câncer/etiologia , Terapia Cognitivo-Comportamental/métodos , Terapia Cognitivo-Comportamental/normas , Delírio/diagnóstico , Delírio/epidemiologia , Delírio/etiologia , Desprescrições , Substituição de Medicamentos/métodos , Substituição de Medicamentos/normas , Europa (Continente) , Família , Humanos , Incidência , Institucionalização/estatística & dados numéricos , Programas de Rastreamento/métodos , Programas de Rastreamento/normas , Oncologia/métodos , Estadiamento de Neoplasias , Neoplasias/terapia , Educação de Pacientes como Assunto/métodos , Educação de Pacientes como Assunto/normas , Polimedicação , Fatores de Risco , Sociedades Médicas/normas , Assistência Terminal/métodos , Assistência Terminal/normasRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Cognitive overload has been recognized as a significant cause of error in industries such as aviation, and measuring mental workload has become a key method of improving safety. The aim of this study was to pilot the use of a new method of measuring mental workload using a previously published study design. METHODS: Ten trainee anaesthetists were exposed to a simulated crisis, similar to that used in a previous study. The mental workload of the trainees was assessed by measuring their response times to a wireless vibrotactile device. RESULTS: Although all subjects treated the 'patient' adequately, response times increased significantly during the crisis (P=0.005). These findings are consistent with increased mental workload and with the findings of other studies using similar techniques. CONCLUSIONS: These findings confirm the importance of mental workload to the performance of anaesthetists, and suggest that raised mental workload is likely to be a common problem. Although further studies are required, the method described may provide a useful method for the measurement of the mental workload of anaesthetists.
