Little Details Make the Difference
So many companies get hyper-focused on achieving radical or disruptive innovations that they overlook how simple incremental innovations can enhance the jobs of their customers. Case in point: The cardboard box used by a circulator nurse to aseptically tie the surgical gown worn by a surgical technologist. The cardboard box is routinely kept by the…
Trusting Your Primary Care Physician Is Important for Your Health
Earlier this month I had my annual physical at the same clinic where I’ve been a patient since returning to Idaho in the mid 2000s. In that time, I’ve had three different primary care physicians; two of which I’ve really liked. The first physician moved from treating patients to a leadership role when the clinic…
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10 Questions Teams Should Answer During Product Development
Failing to Ask Appropriate Questions Leads to Problems Anyone that has been involved with designing, developing, and deploying products knows there are lots of questions the product development team – and the larger organization – need to address in order to achieve success. Unfortunately, the magnitude of daily “small” questions can crowd out the more…
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What is a Team? Team Definitions
The research literature is replete with definitions of teams. In fact, I’m sure I’ve seen at least 50 definitions over the years – some informative; others providing greater confusion than clarity. Why So Many Definitions? Why are there so many definitions of teams? There are at least a couple reasons. First, the concept of teams…
Root Cause Analysis for Medical Devices
I’m pleased to announce that a chapter, Root Cause Analysis, I co-authored with two of my Human Factors MD colleagues, Tim Reeves, PhD and Christina Mendat, PhD, was published this summer in Applied Human Factors in Medical Device Design. The chapter discusses why root cause analysis is vital for understanding the reasons why errors…
A Tribute to my Grandmother
In July, my grandmother, Mary Rowena Parker, passed away at the age of 96. She was a remarkable woman that lived a very full life. I always knew her as a devoted grandparent, but it wasn’t until later in life that I came to understand how much she contributed beyond her family. She was an…