A computer supported memory aid for copying prescription parameters into medical equipment based on linguistic phrases

Manually operated medical equipment, including drug infusion pumps, are often subject to input errors. Human operators copy data from a prescription into the relevant form field on the equipment panels. This process is error prone and time consuming. A computer supported memory aid is proposed where the user remembers phrases instead of value sequences. The proposed strategy speeds up the task of setting up medical equipment while reducing the chances of human errors

Using gherkin to extract tests and monitors for safer medical device interaction design

Number entry systems on medical devices are safety critical and it is important to get them right. Interaction design teams can be multidisciplinary, and in this work we present a process where the requirements of the system are drawn up using a Controlled Natural Language (CNL) that is understandable by non-technical experts or clients. These CNL requirements can also be directly used by the Quality Assurance (QA) team to test the system and monitor whether or not the system runs as it should once deployed. Since commonly, systems are too complex to test all possible execution paths before deployment, monitoring the system at runtime is useful in order to check that the system is running correctly. If at runtime, it is discovered that an anomaly is detected, the relevant personnel is notified through a report in natural language.peer-reviewe

Batching, Error Checking and Data Collecting: Understanding Data Entry in a Financial Office

Data entry is a core computing activity performed by office workers every day. Prior research on this topic has tended to study data entry in controlled lab environments. In this paper, we interviewed nine financial administrators from two large universities to learn about their practices for conducting data entry work. We found that financial information often has to be retrieved from multiple electronic and paper sources, and involves briefly keeping items in memory when switching between sources. Interviewees reported that they batched a lot of data entry tasks into a single session to complete the work quickly, and mitigated the risk of data entry errors by time-consuming practices of double-checking. However, prior lab studies suggest that double-checking is a poor strategy as it takes time and people are poor at spotting errors. This work has implications for how future data entry research should be conducted

A case for Number Entry

The field of text entry has long been focused on purely alphabetical text entry, concentrating on language typing tasks and paying little attention to the task of number entry. Not only does number entry often require a different interface from text entry, it is also subject to different errors and phenomena from text entry. Number entry occurs in many domains in the real world and for this reason this paper argues that more attention needs to be paid to this niche area of text entry

The Effect Of Interface Type On Visual Error Checking Behavior

During data entry tasks, small errors can result in catastrophe, for instance adding an extra zero to a drug dose when programming an infusion in a hospital. For this reason understanding users’ error checking behavior is highly important. One aspect that can affect error checking is the interface that a user must interact with to enter data. Often user interaction with interfaces is evaluated based on speed or error rate. In this paper, in addition to this, we also explore how different types of interface can affect a user’s error checking behavior in a multitasking environment. We show that a fast to use and familiar interface discourages users from carrying out thorough visual checking in a number transcription task. We also found that having participants perform an additional secondary task while doing the number entry task made participants less likely to check the inputted numbers for errors

Tailoring number entry interfaces to the task of programming medical infusion pumps

Medical devices are often used to administer medication to patients. This task usually requires a caregiver to enter specific numerical values into a device. In such safety-critical domains, it is vital that this task can be done quickly and accurately. We consider whether tailoring the interface to make it easier for commonly entered numbers to be inputted makes this task faster and less error-prone. To evaluate this idea we take data from infusion pumps programmed on the ward and make adaptations to three existing interfaces to make the task easier (by adding buttons or altering the effects of interaction). The results of a lab-based experiment show that tailoring the interface in this way can significantly reduce the number of key presses that are required to complete the task. We also present findings regarding the process of tailoring interfaces for more general device design. Copyright 2013 by Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, Inc

QOC-E: A mediating representation to support the development of shared rationale and integration of Human Factors advice

Designing and manufacturing medical devices is a complex and specialist effort. Throughout the process, there is an opportunity to consult across those involved in various aspects of development (for example Human Factors (HF), Human Computer Interaction (HCI), Design and Manufacture). Developers report difficulties in this area, speaking of isolated team members and organizational / cultural barriers. We illustrate the use of a mediating representation (Questions, Options, Criteria and Evidence – QOC-E) that promotes shared reasoning and can be used to capture design rationale. Application is demonstrated using an illustrative example involving the specification of a number entry mechanism. The benefits of the QOC scheme include making tacit reasoning explicit, articulation of trade-offs, traceability, allowing compartmentalization of the design and avoidance of fixation in any one particular area. Downsides include the fact that the representation may require prohibitive amounts of effort to maintain or fail to scale to large or complex systems. These issues are discussed and directions for further investigation outlined

HCI for health and wellbeing: challenges and opportunities

In terms of Human–Computer Interaction, healthcare presents paradoxes: on the one hand, there is substantial investment in innovative health technologies, particularly around “big data” analytics and personal health technologies; on the other hand, most interactive health technologies that are currently deployed at scale are difficult to use and few innovative technologies have achieved significant market penetration. We live in a time of change, with a shift from care being delivered by professionals towards people being expected to be actively engaged and involved in shared decision making. Technically, this shift is supported by novel health technologies and information resources; culturally, the pace of change varies across contexts. In this paper, I present a “space” of interactive health technologies, users and uses, and interdependencies between them. Based on a review of the past and present, I highlight opportunities for and challenges to the application of HCI methods in the design and deployment of digital health technologies. These include threats to privacy, patient trust and experience, and opportunities to deliver healthcare and empower people to manage their health and wellbeing in ways that better fit their lives and values

Designing Devices With the Task in Mind: Which Numbers Are Really Used in Hospitals?

Objective: We studied the patterns of digits and numbers used when programming infusion pumps with the aim of informing the design of number entry interfaces. Background: Number entry systems on medical devices are designed with little thought given to the numbers that will be entered. In other fields, text and number entry interfaces are designed specifically for the task that they will be used for. Doing so allows for faster and more accurate interaction. Method: In Study 1, logs were taken from infusion pumps used in a hospital. Information about the numbers being typed was extracted. For Study 2, three common number entry interfaces were evaluated in light of these results to determine which were best suited to the task of programming infusions. Results: There are clear patterns in the numbers being used in hospitals. The digit 0 is used far more frequently than any other digit. The numbers 1,000, 100, and 50 are used in nearly half of all infusions. Study 2 demonstrates that interfaces are not optimized for entering such data. Conclusion: Changes could be made to the design of the number entry interface on infusion pumps,leading to a reduction in the number of key presses necessary to program a device.We offer a set of four heuristics to guide the design of number entry interfaces on infusion devices. Application: Improving the design of the number entry interface of medical devices, such as infusion pumps, would lead to improved efficiency and a reduction in the likelihood of errors