Inclusion (mineral)

Relevance (law)

Health professions

Economic growth

Medical education

Operating system

Mental health

Psychiatry

Cognition

Political science

Psychology

Health care

Economics

Workload

Computer science

Applied psychology

Cognitive load

Medicine

Social psychology

Medical Teacher

Aim: Cognitive load theory (CLT) is of increasing interest to health professions education researchers. CLT has intuitive applicability to workplace settings, yet how CLT should inform teaching, learning, and research in health professions workplaces is unclear.Method: To map the existing literature, we performed a scoping review of studies involving cognitive load, mental effort and/or mental workload in professional workplace settings within and outside of the health professions. We included actual and simulated workplaces and workplace tasks.Result: Searching eight databases, we identified 4571 citations, of which 116 met inclusion criteria. Studies were most often quantitative. Methods to measure cognitive load included psychometric, physiologic, and secondary task approaches. Few covariates of cognitive load or performance were studied. Overall cognitive load and intrinsic load were consistently negatively associated with the level of experience and performance. Studies consistently found distractions and other aspects of workplace environments as contributing to extraneous load. Studies outside the health professions documented similar findings to those within the health professions, supporting relevance of CLT to workplace learning.Conclusion: The authors discuss implications for workplace teaching, curricular design, learning environment, and metacognition. To advance workplace learning, the authors suggest future CLT research should address higher-level questions and integrate other learning frameworks.

Cognitive load theory for training health professionals in the workplace: A BEME review of studies among diverse professions: BEME Guide No. 53