Coping up with the information overload in the medical profession (November 2015)

Summary

Information overload can be defined as a difficulty a person can have in comprehending issue and making judgments that are caused by the presence of too much information. Information overload occurs when the amount of input to a system surpasses its processing capability. Decision-makers have a limited cognitive processing ability. Consequently, when information overload happens, it is possible that a decline in decision quality will take place. Decision-makers, such as medical consultants, have fairly limited cognitive processing capacity. Consequently, when information overload occurs, it is likely that a reduction in decision quality will occur.

The aim of this study, originally published by the Journal of Biosciences and Medicines, is to assess the impact of information overload on medical consultants’ life, its causes, and potential ways to deal with it.