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Visual Cue Processing and Scanning Efficiency in Decision-Making of Expert and Novice Nurses During Rapid Patient Deterioration

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This study investigates how clinical experience shapes nurses’ visual cue-gathering during acute patient deterioration. Using wearable eye-trackers, expert and student nurses’ visual behaviors were analyzed across pre- and post-deterioration phases in a simulated patient care scenario. Expert nurses fixated more on clinically relevant areas and exhibited more focused, sequential gaze patterns. In contrast, student nurses displayed greater fixation variability and higher gaze transition entropy, indicating less efficient scanning and increased cognitive load. These findings offer an objective, sensor-based understanding of how experience influences clinical decision-making and highlight eye-tracking’s potential for nursing education.

Source: Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting

DOI: 10.1177/10711813251372097

Authors: Haozhi Chen, Nicholas E. Anton, Bowen Zheng, Tera Hornbeck, Matthew Scanlon, Denny Yu

Institutions: Purdue University West Lafayette, Emory Healthcare, Medical College of Wisconsin

Language: English

Topic: Clinical Reasoning and Diagnostic Skills

Subfield: Family Practice

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: bronze

Funder: National Science Foundation