Abstract
BackgroundThe workload in health care is high; physicians and nurses report high stress levels due to a demanding environment where they often have to perform multiple tasks simultaneously. As a result, mental health issues among health care professionals (HCPs) are on the rise and the prevalence of errors in their daily tasks could increase. Processes of demographic change are partly responsible for even higher stress levels among HCPs. The digitization of patient care is intended to counteract these processes. However, it remains unclear whether these health information systems (HIS) and digital health technologies (DHT) support the HCPs and relieve stress, or if they represent a further burden. The mental construct that describes this burden of technologies is mental workload (MWL). Work in the clinic can be viewed as working in safety-critical environments. Particularly in this sensitive setting, the measurement methods of MWL are relevant, mainly due to their strongly differing levels of intrusiveness and sensitivity. The method of eye tracking could be a useful way to measure MWL directly in the field.ObjectiveThe systematic review aims to address the following questions: (1) In which manner do DHT contribute to the overall MWL of HCPs? (2) Can we observe a direct or indirect effect of DHT on MWL? (3) Which aspects or factors of DHT contribute to an increase in MWL? (4) Which methods/assessments are applied to measure MWL related to HIS/DHT? (5) What role does eye tracking/pupillometry play in the context of measuring MWL? (6) Which outcomes are being assessed via eye tracking?MethodsFollowing the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis) statement, we will conduct a systematic review. Based on the research questions, we define keywords that we then combine in search terms. The review follows the following steps: literature search, article selection, data extraction, risk of bias assessment, data analysis, and data synthesis.ResultsWe expect results as well as a finalization of the review in the summer of 2021.ConclusionsThis review will evaluate the impact of DHT on the MWL of HCPs. In addition, assessment methods of MWL in the context of digital technologies will be systematically analyzed.Trial RegistrationPROSPERO (International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews) CRD42021233271; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?ID=CRD42021233271International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/29126
Highlights
BackgroundThe workload for health care workers has remained high for many years [1,2]
The planned systematic review intends to identify the impact of digital health technologies (DHT), health information systems (HIS), on the mental workload (MWL) of health care workers
Which aspects or factors of DHT contribute to an increase in MWL?
Summary
BackgroundThe workload for health care workers has remained high for many years [1,2]. The workload in health care is high; physicians and nurses report high stress levels due to a demanding environment where they often have to perform multiple tasks simultaneously. Work in the clinic can be viewed as working in safety-critical environments In this sensitive setting, the measurement methods of MWL are relevant, mainly due to their strongly differing levels of intrusiveness and sensitivity. Objective: The systematic review aims to address the following questions: (1) In which manner do DHT contribute to the overall MWL of HCPs? Conclusions: This review will evaluate the impact of DHT on the MWL of HCPs. In addition, assessment methods of MWL in the context of digital technologies will be systematically analyzed. Trial Registration: PROSPERO (International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews) CRD42021233271; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?ID=CRD42021233271 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/29126
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