Nurses' Numeracy and Graphical Literacy: Informing Studies of Clinical Decision Support Interfaces

J Nurs Care Qual. 2016 Apr-Jun;31(2):124-30. doi: 10.1097/NCQ.0000000000000149.

Abstract

We present findings of a comparative study of numeracy and graph literacy in a representative group of 60 practicing nurses. This article focuses on a fundamental concern related to the effectiveness of numeric information displayed in various features in the electronic health record during clinical workflow. Our findings suggest the need to consider numeracy and graph literacy when presenting numerical information as well as the potential for tailoring numeric display types to an individual's cognitive strengths.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Comprehension*
  • Computer Literacy*
  • Decision Making
  • Decision Support Systems, Clinical*
  • Electronic Health Records
  • Female
  • Health Literacy*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Mathematics*
  • Middle Aged
  • Nurses
  • Problem Solving