Episode one: Thinking Under Pressure: Cognitive Load in Clinical Practice

Dr. Adam Szulewski is an emergency physician, educator and researcher whose work explores how clinicians think and perform in complex clinical environments. He is a Professor in the Departments of Emergency Medicine and Psychology at Queen’s University and Principal Strategist, Continuing Professional Development at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.   Dr. Szulewski’s academic work focuses on applying cognitive load theory to medicine and understanding the development and assessment of medical expertise. He completed a PhD at Maastricht University, focused on physician expertise development in resuscitation medicine, and is the host of the medical education podcast KeyLIME+.

To kick off season two, emergency physician and researcher Dr. Adam Szulewski explores how cognitive load affects clinical reasoning and performance in busy practices. He explains how limited working memory, interruptions, fatigue and information overload can influence decision-making, and shares practical strategies to help clinicians manage these demands.  

Dr. Szulewski discusses approaches such as pre-briefing, mental simulation, pausing to recap and reprioritize, and using checklists and cognitive aids appropriately. The conversation also looks at how electronic health records can add unnecessary burden and why recognizing cognitive load can help clinicians create more space to think clearly.