title: Central station data displays: an experimental evaluation of observer performance. Part 1: Number of displays and observation time.
abstract: 16 experienced ICU nurses monitored simulated central station VDU displays for the occurrence of ectopic beats and for signs of deterioration in general cardiovascular status. Each period of monitoring lasted for 1 h, and on separate occasions each nurse monitored 1, 2, 4 or 6 displays simultaneously. As the number of observed screens increased, performance declined significantly, with reduced identifications of discrete events (e.g., ectopic beat detections), and with increased delays in determining a deterioration in cardiovascular status; in addition, a secondary task was less accurately and efficiently performed, and the nurses tended to become increasingly fatigued. Efficient observing was maintained over the 1 h monitoring period, but only at considerable cost in terms of fatigue and a loss of alertness. The results suggest that there may be restrictions in the use of complex central station facilities at first-line observation posts for patient care.
authors: Yorkshire Regional Cardiothoracic Centre, Killingbeck Hospital, Leeds, England.
authors: A D
authors: AD
authors: Crew
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Old
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Graig
authors: G D
authors: GD
authors: Unsworth
authors: P C
authors: PC
authors: Fletcher
mesh_terms: D005117:Cardiac Complexes, Premature / Q000175:diagnosis; D003422:Critical Care / Q000592:standards*; D003626:Data Display; D004526:Efficiency; D005221:Fatigue / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic / Q000592:standards; D009732:Nursing Care / Q000592:standards*; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis