Ashley Hughes is lead author of new article to be published in the Journal of Interprofessional Care

Dr. Ashley M. Hughes, BHIS professor and director of the SAFE-T lab, is lead author of a new publication, “Analysis of cognitive tasks in the application of non-invasive ventilation to patients with COPD exacerbation,” which has just been accepted into the Journal of Interprofessional Care.

Collaborators on this paper include Dr. Karen Riska, Dr. Mihaela Stefan, and Dr. Peter Lindenauer from Baystate Health (University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School), Dr. Christopher Shea (University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Gilling’s School of Global Public Health), Dr. Dean Hess (Massachusetts General Hospital and Northeastern University), and first year medical student Divya Krishnakumar (University of Illinois College of Medicine).

Hughes, A.M., Riska, K.L., Farmer, M.J.S., Krishnakumar, D., Shea, C.M., Hess, D.R., Lindenauer, P.K., & Stefan, M.S. (in press). Analysis of cognitive tasks in the application of non-invasive ventilation to patients with COPD exacerbation. Journal of Interprofessional Care.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is the 3rd leading cause for hospitalization in the United States. Evidence shows that promoting the use of non-invasive ventilation (NIV) improves short-term outcomes for patients by reducing the length of stay in the ICU, complications, and mortality, but there is substantial variation in how NIV is implemented in clinical settings. Interprofessional teamwork plays a significant role in the uptake of such interventions.

By conducting a Cognitive Task Analysis (CTA) with subject experts (physicians, respiratory therapists, nurses etc.), this paper identified the key shared cognitive tasks necessary for initiating and implementing NIV in patients with COPD exacerbations. The study’s findings emphasize the importance of interprofessional collaboration and provide scope for future interprofessional training programs.

Be on the lookout for our in-press publication! If you have any questions, feel free to contact the lead author at amhughes@uic.edu.