Assessing Medical Technology from the User’s Perspective

In 2008, I co-authored “Assessing Devices from the User’s Perspective” with Curt Braun.

The article focuses on the importance of using methods from the field of human factors and ergonomics to facilitate the procurement and implementation of appropriate medical technology for a health care organization.  Specifically, it identifies heuristic evaluations and usability testing.

With regard to the former, it references the Nielsen–Shneiderman Heuristics, coined by Zhang, et al. (2003).  They include:

1. Consistency: Users should know that similar actions lead to similar results.
2. Visibility: Users should be informed about what is going on in the system.
3. Match: Users should have a mental model that matches the state of the medical technology.
4. Minimalist: Users should not be exposed to unnecessary information.
5. Memory: Users should not be required to memorize a lot of information to use the medical technology.
6. Feedback: Users should be provided prompt and informative feedback.
7. Flexibility: Users should have the ability to customize or create shortcuts.
8. Message: Users should receive an informative error message.
9. Errors: Users should be insulated from error occurrence by the design of the medical technology.
10. Closure: Users should be informed of task completions.
11. Undo: Users should have the ability to recover from errors.
12. Language: Users should be presented information in an understandable form.
13. Control: Users should not have the impression that the medical technology is in control.
14. Document: Users should be provided help by the medical technology when necessary.

References

Shaver, E.F., & Braun, C.C. (2008, September).  Assessing devices from the user’s perspective.  Materials Management in Health Care, 30-34.