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Chapter 3
Being Bumpable:
Consequences of Resource Saturation
and Near-Saturation for Cognitive
Demands on ICU Practitioners
by Richard I. Cook, Un iversity of Chicago
A case of synth esis of cognitive system functions—R ichard Cook’s
(1998) Being “Bumpable” study of Intensive Care Units—illustrates
the techniques and difficu lties as one sets out to discov er how r eal
JCSs function. This is a case that unlocked asp ects of the nature o f
practice. The s tarting point is to model the signifi cance of insiders’
use of a highly coded term of practice. Cook uses this term and a
critical inciden t —a br eakdown in the normal adaptive pro c esse s —as
wedges to break through the fluen cy o f actual operations, uncovering
the demands on work and revealing ...