TY - GEN
T1 - Safe design of medical equipment
T2 - Human Factors and Ergonomics Conference (Human Factors and Ergonomics Society of Australia) 2013
AU - Horberry, Tim
AU - Teng, Yi Chun
AU - Ward, James
AU - Clarkson, P. John
N1 - Conference code: 49th
PY - 2013
Y1 - 2013
N2 - Background: Central Venous Catheterisation (CVC) is a medical procedure that has been linked with cases of retained guidewires in a patient after surgery. Whilst this is theoretically a completely avoidable complication, a guidewire of up to 60cm being retained in a patient's vascular system poses a major risk. In recently reported cases, guidewires retained inside patients have not been detected for several years. Aims: The ultimate aim was to develop appropriate, operator-centred safe design solutions that reduce guidewire retention errors. Method: This paper focuses specifically on the application of Nielsen's ten usability heuristics 1 to the issue of retained guidewires. Following the development of a task analysis of the procedure, three researchers (from medical, safety and human factors backgrounds) independently applied the usability heuristics, then met to analyse the findings. Results: A range of usability problems were identified in the Central Venous Catheterisation procedure, and solutions to the identified issues were then proposed: These focused on the design of equipment, or the wider guidewire insertion procedure. The paper details the identified usability problems and possible redesign solutions from the 10 usability heuristics. Conclusion: Overall, the application of the usability heuristics was found to be a useful method both to explore medical device interface problems and to generate possible countermeasures. Further work to eliminate/engineer out the possibility of guidewires being retained is briefly reported.
AB - Background: Central Venous Catheterisation (CVC) is a medical procedure that has been linked with cases of retained guidewires in a patient after surgery. Whilst this is theoretically a completely avoidable complication, a guidewire of up to 60cm being retained in a patient's vascular system poses a major risk. In recently reported cases, guidewires retained inside patients have not been detected for several years. Aims: The ultimate aim was to develop appropriate, operator-centred safe design solutions that reduce guidewire retention errors. Method: This paper focuses specifically on the application of Nielsen's ten usability heuristics 1 to the issue of retained guidewires. Following the development of a task analysis of the procedure, three researchers (from medical, safety and human factors backgrounds) independently applied the usability heuristics, then met to analyse the findings. Results: A range of usability problems were identified in the Central Venous Catheterisation procedure, and solutions to the identified issues were then proposed: These focused on the design of equipment, or the wider guidewire insertion procedure. The paper details the identified usability problems and possible redesign solutions from the 10 usability heuristics. Conclusion: Overall, the application of the usability heuristics was found to be a useful method both to explore medical device interface problems and to generate possible countermeasures. Further work to eliminate/engineer out the possibility of guidewires being retained is briefly reported.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84907362356&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Conference Paper
AN - SCOPUS:84907362356
BT - 49th Annual Human Factors and Ergonomics Society of Australia Conference 2013, HFESA 2013
PB - Human Factors and Ergonomics Society of Australia Inc. (HFESA)
Y2 - 2 December 2013 through 4 December 2013
ER -