"Pop-Up Alerts are the Bane of My Existence": Designing Alerts for Cognitive Aids Used in Time-Critical Medical Settings

Abstract

Decision support alerts have the potential to assist clinicians in determining appropriate interventions for critically injured patients. The design of these alerts is critical because it can impact their adoption and effectiveness. In this late-breaking work, we explore how decision support alerts should be designed for cognitive aids used in time-and safety-critical medical events. We conducted interviews with 11 trauma team leaders to elicit their thoughts and reactions to potential alert designs. From the findings, we contribute three implications for designing alerts for cognitive aids that support team-based, time-critical decision making and discuss how these implications can be further explored in future work.