Certified Professional in Patient Safety (CPPS) Practice Exam

When creating a checklist, how many tasks should ideally be kept to match working memory limits?

1. 1 and 5

2. 3 and 10

3. 5 and 9

4. 10 and 15

The correct answer is: 5 and 9

The ideal number of tasks in a checklist aligns with cognitive psychology research on working memory limits, which suggest that individuals can effectively manage between 5 and 9 items at one time. This range allows for optimal cognitive load, ensuring that users can recall and execute each task without becoming overwhelmed or confused. When creating checklists, it is critical to stay within this range because exceeding it can lead to decreased performance and an increased likelihood of errors. This consideration is particularly important in high-stakes environments, such as healthcare, where precision is vital for patient safety. By keeping the number of tasks between 5 and 9, checklists can support the user's ability to dutifully follow the prescribed steps without cognitive overload, thereby enhancing adherence and improving outcomes. This practice is grounded in understanding human cognitive capabilities, especially when those tasks require attention and memory recall simultaneously.