Working Memory - Leveraging Your Most Valuable Resource


CUSTOMER ID
PASSWORD
Remember Me



sb


The trained, expert mind has been described as the most valuable resource in the world. An individual expert's working memory is the mind's system that uses thought processes to learn and to generate intuitions, decisions and expert performance. Such thought processes are not taught; and they are not found in textbooks, articles or reference material. But they can be captured, integrated and improved, facts first published by cognitive scientists in 1995 but just now being developed into practical applications that enable accelerated learning, teamwork and better outcomes.

We at MIP have used the extensive research that cognitive scientists have conducted in the area of working memory to develop our accelerated learning process called Thought Process Optimization (TPO). While TPO works for any industry and has been used in a number of industries, healthcare is perhaps the best fit because medicine is all about thought processes and people. TPO is the way to expand quality beyond protocols and procedures to include thought processes, intuitions and decisions.

"The beauty and power of Thought Process Optimization is that it is readily understandable, instantly testable and immediately adoptable. Not one person has questioned it, disagreed with it or even indicated that it is unimportant. Nobody can go back to the old way of doing things after they understand the concept. There are residents that are likely going to use it throughout their careers. TPO may have made a big difference to thousands of patients in the future."

These statements were made by the physician who implemented the TPO healthcare test case.

TPO is used to continuously capture the changing thought processes that each individual's working memory uses to generate intuitions, decisions and expert performance. These thought processes are then stored in a software application known as the Intellectual Capital Repository (ICR) where they can be continuously improved, integrated, accessed and shared across specialties and departments.

Integration and the elimination of silos is a key component of TPO. Professionals often use multiple definitions for the same term and multiple terms for the same definition. MIP's One-Term One-Meaning establishes a common language that not only minimizes the misunderstandings caused by inconsistent terminology but also links thought processes across individuals and departments. This linkage eliminates silos by creating a system-wide 'virtual mind meld' among individuals whose thought processes are stored in the ICR.

With TPO, individuals can learn from each other and use the thought processes of colleagues regardless of time and location. In addition, novices can use the thought processes of experts to quickly come up-to-speed. Multiplying the number of experts minimizes errors that result from wrong intuitions and decisions that lead to poor performance. This reduces costs, shortens the time required to complete tasks and improves the quality of outcomes.