PreKo-2: Proactive assessment of cognitive work environment in pre-hospital emergency care

Research Project, 2024 – 2027

This research project aims to improve the conditions for understanding and assessing the level of cognitive load in ambulance emergency services. The methodological starting point is a previously developed model (called PreKo 1.0), originally aimed at evaluating assembly work, from an earlier AFA Försäkring-project (#170018) for assessing cognitive load, This project aims to adapt and refine the model for the presumably more complex and less predictable work context that ambulance healthcare entails. 

The goals are to further develop the model into a usable and useful assessment method that is relevant for more dynamic decision-making work in a combined physical and digital context, and to establish a deeper understanding of the cognitive aspects of ambulance care, where staff are challenged by decision-making based on rapidly changing information. This may entail dealing with crisis situations and people in shock or difficult life circumstances; analogue and digital communication with remote parties (e.g. doctors); documentation of sensitive personal data; and vehicle handling in traffic in all weather and light conditions.
 
The PreKo-2 project intends to fulfill the following societal benefits and research purposes:
 
- Map how cognitive load factors present themselves in ambulance emergency services (types of cognitive/mental load, critical abilities, time aspects, frequency, intensity, consequences in case of errors, etc.).

- Further develop the previous assessment model PreKo 1.0 – refined to meet the additional cognitive loads of ambulance care – into a more general tool for proactively assessing cognitive/mental load in dynamic work situations and develop the model's ability to evaluate dynamic decision making and rapidly changing task circumstances.

- Develop a process for how the further developed PreKo 2.0 method can be used for structured assessment of cognitive load in ambulance care and provide recommendations for appropriate measures when potentially harmful cognitive/mental load is detected.