Design of patient tracking tools may have unintended co...( BUFFALO N.Y. -- Proper design...),Health
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Proper design of computational tools is critical if they are to be used with success in patient-care settings, particularly in hospital emergency rooms, a field study conducted by researchers at the University at Buffalo and other institutions recently revealed.
Nationwide, electronic patient tracking technologies are replacing traditional, dry-erase patient status boards, according to the UB researchers, who conducted the study with colleagues at the University of Rochester and the University of Florida, Jacksonville.
The results were presented last month by the UB researchers at the annual meeting of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.
The researchers studied how new electronic patient-status boards were functioning in the emergency departments of two busy, university-affiliated hospitals.
Overall, the UB researchers found that the computational tracking systems tended to affect how health-care providers communicate information and track activities regarding patient care, which can cause providers to change the way they work.
The results provide an important case study of what can happen when new technologies are developed without sufficient understanding by designers of the nature of the work in which they will be used, according to Ann Bisantz, Ph.D., associate professor of industrial and systems engineering in the UB School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and a co-investigator on the study.
Research in human factors, the study of the interactions between humans and technology, has shown that in complex workplaces where safety is critical, such mismatches between the way practitioners work and the technologies that are supposed to support them can have unintended consequences, including inefficiencies and workarounds, where the technology demands that people change their work method, said Bisantz.
She noted that there were surface similarities
'/>"/>
| Contact: Ellen Goldbaum goldbaum@buffalo.edu 716-645-5000 x1415 University at Buffalo Source:Eurekalert |
Related medicine news :
1. MSU engineering team designs innovative medical device
2. UCLA study identifies designer estrogen as potential MS drug
3. Implantable device designed to detect, stop seizures under study at MCG
4. Smith & Nephew Endoscopys KINSA(R) RC Suture Anchor Designed for Secure Repair of Rotator Cuff Injuries
5. Design Resource Extends Support for Orthopaedic and Cardiovascular Devices
6. Bullying Prevention Institute Designed to Empower Change in Schools
7. Smilebox and Lifetime Television Promote Breast Cancer Awareness With Multimedia Designs for Sending Mammogram Reminders and Celebrating Courage
8. Lafley Tells Shareholders That P&G is Designed to Grow
9. Independence Blue Cross Announces No Pay Getaway Promotion Designed to Encourage Healthy Behaviors
10. Fauquier Hospital - One of Only Five Nationwide to Receive Formal Designation as Patient-Centered Hospital
11. Regence Introduces Two New Plans Designed Especially for Small to Mid-Size Companies
| Copyright © 2003-2009 Bio-Medicine. All rights reserved. ABOUT | CONTACT US | DISCLAIMER | PRIVACY POLICY | TERMS AND CONDITIONS |  |