Here is our collection of nurse created cognitive artifacts. These are the pieces of paper nurses carry in their pockets for jotting the things they must remember in working their shifts. They call them "brains". Some are elaborate, with carefully-designed forms to fill in.
Why study nurse brains? In general, they provide insight into the cognitive processes conducted by nurses that -- to us as nurses -- are fascinating. In particular, they reveal:
- Shortcomings of electronic support for data-intensive aspects of nursing work (where the EMRs and MARs fall short); and
- What nurses risk forgetting and want to make sure to remember.
Collecting these is part of the research we do in understanding and supporting nursing memory and time management techniques.
 Sample 1: med-surg |
Sample 2: med-surg |
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Sample 3: med-surg |
Sample 4: med-surg |
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Sample 5: head-to-toe assessment |
Sample 6: nursing assessment |
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Sample 7: rehab SBAR |
 Sample 8: maternity |
 Sample 9: PICU |
Sample 10: post-procedure |
 Sample 11: Italian respiratory care unit nurse brain |
 Sample 12: Situation-Background-Assessment-Recommendation (SBAR) |
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Sample 13, page 1: Another SBAR, very technical (and page 2) |
 Sample 14: phone numbers on badge |