Eric Shaver

Human Factors Professional

2017 Human Factors and Ergonomics in Health Care Symposium

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Two weeks from today marks the start of the 2017 International Symposium on Human Factors and Ergonomics in Health Care. The Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (@HFES) event will be held at the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel and runs from March 5th – 8th.

I’ll be presenting on two different topics:

  • Best Practices of Safety Information Presentation in IFUs [Lecture]
  • Strategies for Successful Human Factors Collaboration with Medical Device Development Teams [Poster]

Moreover, I’ll also be the cochair the Ethical Challenges with Usability Testing panel and lecture session for the Medical and Drug-Delivery Devices Track.

If you’re interested in learning more about the topics that will be covered, the full program is now available for download.

I’m looking forward to meeting, reconnecting, and learning from practitioners, industry representatives, researchers, students, and the human factors staff at the FDA.

Design Best Practices for Medical Device Labeling Warnings

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Last month, I led a 90-minute webinar on Warnings and Safety Information in Device Labeling, Part 2: Design Best Practices for the AAMI University Distance Learning Program. Topics included:

  • Reviewing seven initial questions to ask before designing warnings and safety information in medical device labeling.
  • Discussing five overarching design considerations when developing warnings and safety information in medical device labeling.
  • Describing which features contribute to effective warnings and safety information for medical device labeling.
  • Identifying best practices of warnings and safety information in medical device labeling.
  • Providing resources for instructional designers to use when developing warnings and safety information for medical device labeling.

If you missed the two-part webinar, you can purchase access to the archived webinar here.

Top 10 Health Technology Hazards for 2017

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ecri-institute-top-10-health-technology-hazards-for-2017The ECRI Institute has published their annual Top 10 Health Technology Hazards for 2017. As noted in the brief, the list is published each year to identify:

“…the potential sources of danger that we believe warrant the greatest attention for the coming year. The list does not enumerate the most frequently reported problems or the ones associated with the most severe consequences—although we do consider such information in our analysis. Rather, the list reflects our judgment about which risks should receive priority now.” (p. 3)

The list includes:

  1. Infusion Errors Can Be Deadly If Simple Safety Steps Are Overlooked
  2. Inadequate Cleaning of Complex Reusable Instruments Can Lead to Infections
  3. Missed Ventilator Alarms Can Lead to Patient Harm
  4. Undetected Opioid-Induced Respiratory Depression
  5. Infection Risks with Heater-Cooler Devices Used in Cardiothoracic Surgery
  6. Software Management Gaps Put Patients, and Patient Data, at Risk
  7. Occupational Radiation Hazards in Hybrid ORs
  8. Automated Dispensing Cabinet Setup and Use Errors May Cause Medication Mishaps
  9. Surgical Stapler Misuse and Malfunctions
  10. Device Failures Caused by Cleaning Products and Practices

If you’re interested in getting your own copy of the Executive Brief, visit this link.

State of the Science of Medical Device Labeling Warnings

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warnings-and-safety-information-in-device-labeling-webinar

Last Thursday, I led a 90-minute webinar on Warnings and Safety Information in Device Labeling, Part 1: A Primer on the Science for the AAMI University Distance Learning program. Topics included:

  • Describing the purposes, parts, and pitfalls of warnings and safety information
  • Reviewing the state of the science of warnings and safety information, specifically as it pertains to medical device labeling
  • Examining how warnings and safety information development aligns with a typical usability engineering process
  • Explaining why warnings and safety information are not always effective
  • Discussing product liability challenges due to defective warnings and safety information

This week I will present Part 2 which will focus on medical device labeling design best practices. The webinar will be on November 10th from 11:00 am – 12:30 pm EST. If you’re interested in participating, you can register for the webinar here.

AAMI Warnings and Safety Information in Device Labeling Webinar

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aami-webinar-screenshot

On November 3rd and 10th, I’ll be presenting a two-part webinar on Warnings and Safety Information in Device Labeling for the AAMI University Distance Learning program.

Part I will introduce attendees to the science of warnings and safety information. Part II will focus on highlighting the best practices of designing and presenting warnings and safety information in device labeling. Each session will last 90 minutes and start at 11:00 am EST.

To learn more about the webinar, including how to register, visit the following link.

Human Factors as a Source of Innovation

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creative-confidence-coverIn their book, Creative Confidence, Tom and David Kelley discuss the importance of balancing three factors (technical factors, business factors, and human factors), often referred to as the IDEO Three Lens of Human-Center Design, when undertaking innovation initiatives.  While they go into detail about all three, for myself, their commentary about the third element – human factors – is most interesting.  They state:

The third element involves people, and is sometimes referred to as human factors.  It’s about deeply understanding human needs. Beyond just observing behaviors, this third aspect of successful innovation programs is about getting at people’s motivations and core beliefs. Human factors aren’t necessarily more important than the other two.  But technical factors are well taught in science and engineering programs around the world, and companies everywhere focus energy on the business factors. So we believe that human factors may offer some of the best opportunities for innovation, which is why we always start there. (pp. 20-21)

I completely agree that deeply understanding human factors is vital for successful innovation.  It’s great to see respected professionals in the design community write about the importance of this topic.

References

Kelley, T. and Kelley, D. (2013). Creative confidence: Unleashing the creative potential within us all. Crown Business: New York, NY.