Absolutely. It would be interesting to know what information was in this database. It doesn't make sense that it was just a list of people. Did it include known connections? Other medical information? Travel history? And why/how was it being used?
Giving the user clear feedback about where they are in a page and how to modify their location should not "increase cognitive noise". It should in fact offload cognitive load from the user onto the interface leaving more room, so to speak, for the user to use for themselves.