A medical hand tool physical interaction evaluation approach for prototype testing using patient care simulators.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Occupational Ergonomics
• Medical Device Design

Background:

• Assessing physical ergonomics in medical device use is crucial for preventing injuries.
• Existing methods may not capture simultaneous wrist posture and exertion forces.
• Medical device handles require specific ergonomic evaluations to ensure user safety and comfort.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel physical ergonomics assessment approach for medical device handles.
• To simultaneously evaluate wrist posture and force exertion during specific task elements.
• To provide actionable data for medical device designers to improve product ergonomics.

Main Methods:

• Utilized electrogoniometers and EMG sensors for synchronized data acquisition with video recordings.
• Performed offline task analysis using Observer XT software.
• Applied the assessment to an endoscope needle during simulated gastrointestinal biopsy procedures with physician surrogates.

Main Results:

• All task elements showed significant wrist extension (33°-45°).
• Peak muscle forces ranged from 28% to 68% MVC, exceeding established safety thresholds for multiple task elements and muscles.
• Handle comfort questionnaire data corroborated high muscle force findings and indicated issues with contact stress and force distribution.

Conclusions:

• The developed ergonomic assessment effectively identifies critical issues in medical device handle design.
• Findings indicate a need for handle redesign to reduce wrist strain and muscle exertion.
• This approach offers valuable early-stage ergonomic data for medical device development and improvement.