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Operations & systems
Team leaders carry highest cognitive load
Perceived cognitive load among emergency department code blue teams: distribution, correlates and relationship with team performance
Resuscitation · Added 3 August 2026
This multicentre cross-sectional study of 58 resuscitations found perceived cognitive load was highest among team leaders (mean 5.5/9) and higher team leader cognitive load was associated with higher load among team members and lower TEAM-assessed performance.
- Study type
- Cross-sectional
- Design
- Multicentre cross-sectional study with prospective data collection in ED resuscitations
- Participants
- 58 resuscitations, 228 healthcare professional observations
- Main finding
- Team leaders had highest perceived cognitive load (mean 5.5, SD 1.7; β = 1.12, 95% CI 0.27-1.98); higher team leader load associated with higher team member load (β = 0.53) and lower TEAM-assessed performance
- Caveat
- Cross-sectional design using self-reported cognitive load; ED setting only, small sample
- Bottom line
- Context only
Why it matters in Australia (High relevance). Directly applicable to resuscitation team training and leadership, with clear implications for supporting team leaders during high-acuity events
Learning goal
Recognise how distributed cognitive load across resuscitation team roles affects our team performance.
More
- Topic: Operations & systems
- Daily scan: 3 August 2026
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