An ergonomics study of the check-out system for self-service shops in Sweden

This thesis is concerned with the design and evaluation of a checkout system in self-service shops in Sweden. The aims were (a) to study the ergonomics of the development of a new check-out system which is to be part of a new automatic data handling system in retailing, and (b) to evaluate certain ergonomics methods used in a system development programme. The thesis falls into five parts. The first deals with a system analysis of check-out systems in self-service shops. The second consists of a literaturereview of the ergonomics of keyboards relevant to cash register design. The third describes an experimental evaluation of two keyboards suitable for use with cash registers. The fourth describes surveys, involving interviews, cuestionnaires and observational studies, on customers and cashiers using and working in self-service shops. In the fifth and final part experimental and survey results are discussed and interpreted. The principal results obtained can be summarised as follows. (a) For ten button keyboards speed and accuracy of performance is better with the keys 123 on the top row and the keys 789 on the bottom row, than conversely. Cashiers generally prefer the 123 to the 789 keyboard. (b) A new cash desk (into which the 123 keyboard may be placed) incorporating two moving conveyor belts, which has recently been introduced into self-service shops has improved working conditions for cashiers. Suggestions are made on how the cash desk may be further improved from the point of view of both cashiers and customers. (c) Important relationships between results obtained from interviews involving the reporting of critical incidents, questionnaires and observational studies are reported and the methodological implication of these relations reviewed

Workflows and individual differences during visually guided routine tasks in a road traffic management control room

Road traffic control rooms rely on human operators to monitor and interact with information presented on multiple displays. Past studies have found inconsistent use of available visual information sources in such settings across different domains. In this study, we aimed to broaden the understanding of observer behaviour in control rooms by analysing a case study in road traffic control. We conducted a field study in a live road traffic control room where five operators responded to incidents while wearing a mobile eye tracker. Using qualitative and quantitative approaches, we investigated the operators’ workflow using ergonomics methods and quantified visual information sampling. We found that individuals showed differing preferences for viewing modalities and weighting of task components, with a strong coupling between eye and head movement. For the quantitative analysis of the eye tracking data, we propose a number of metrics which may prove useful to compare visual sampling behaviour across domains in future

Osteoporosis in the European Union: medical management, epidemiology and economic burden: a report prepared in collaboration with the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) and the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industry Associations (EPPIA)

Summary: This report describes the epidemiology, burden, and treatment of osteoporosis in the 27 countries of the European Union (EU27).Introduction: Osteoporosis is characterized by reduced bone mass and disruption of bone architecture, resulting in increased risk of fragility fractures which represent the main clinical consequence of the disease. Fragility fractures are associated with substantial pain and suffering, disability and even death for affected patients and substantial costs to society. The aim of this report was to characterize the burden of osteoporosis in the EU27 in 2010 and beyond.Methods: The literature on fracture incidence and costs of fractures in the EU27 was reviewed and incorporated into a model estimating the clinical and economic burden of osteoporotic fractures in 2010.Results: Twenty-two million women and 5.5 million men were estimated to have osteoporosis; and 3.5 million new fragility fractures were sustained, comprising 610,000 hip fractures, 520,000 vertebral fractures, 560,000 forearm fractures and 1,800,000 other fractures (i.e. fractures of the pelvis, rib, humerus, tibia, fibula, clavicle, scapula, sternum and other femoral fractures). The economic burden of incident and prior fragility fractures was estimated at € 37 billion. Incident fractures represented 66 % of this cost, long-term fracture care 29 % and pharmacological prevention 5 %. Previous and incident fractures also accounted for 1,180,000 quality-adjusted life years lost during 2010. The costs are expected to increase by 25 % in 2025. The majority of individuals who have sustained an osteoporosis-related fracture or who are at high risk of fracture are untreated and the number of patients on treatment is declining.Conclusions: In spite of the high social and economic cost of osteoporosis, a substantial treatment gap and projected increase of the economic burden driven by the aging populations, the use of pharmacological interventions to prevent fractures has decreased in recent years, suggesting that a change in healthcare policy is warranted