Fig. 1

The conceptual framework of distributed cognition in ICUs. Information and data of patients are fed to the care team for clinical decision making. The distributed cognitive system includes both the care team and artifacts like technology. The output includes clinical interventions such as medication orders. The system workload factors (such as the number of patients and patient characteristics) affect the input (e.g., change in quantity) and subsequently affect the decision-making process (e.g., trigger cognitive overload)