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Usability of smart infusion pumps: A heuristic evaluation
Amelia Klarich1, Thomas Z Noonan1, Chris Reichlen1
1Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa City, 52242, USA.
Applied Ergonomics
|September 25, 2021
Summary
Smart infusion pumps, intended to reduce medication errors, introduce new usability issues during secondary medication administration. These problems increase nurses' cognitive burden and the risk of errors, necessitating design improvements.
Area of Science:
- Medical device usability
- Patient safety engineering
- Nursing informatics
Background:
- Smart infusion pumps aim to prevent medication errors.
- However, new usability challenges emerge with advanced features.
- Secondary medication administration presents unique risks.
Purpose of the Study:
- Identify risks associated with smart pump use in secondary medication administration.
- Uncover specific usability problems encountered by nurses.
- Propose design and process improvements for smart infusion pumps.
Main Methods:
- Direct observation of nurses interacting with smart pumps.
- Heuristic evaluation of smart pump interfaces.
- Analysis of identified usability issues.
Main Results:
- Forty-three distinct usability problems were identified.
- These issues can significantly increase cognitive load for nurses.
- Potential for increased medication administration errors exists.
Conclusions:
- Smart pump design requires optimization to mitigate identified usability flaws.
- Addressing these problems can enhance nurse efficiency and patient safety.
- Recommendations provided for both device design and clinical workflow improvements.
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