User Perceptions of Visual Clot in a High-Fidelity Simulation Study: Mixed Qualitative-Quantitative Study

Area of Science:

• Anesthesiology
• Critical Care Medicine
• Hematology

Background:

• Viscoelastic hemostatic assays (e.g., ROTEM) aid in diagnosing and treating bleeding disorders.
• Interpreting results from these assays can be complex for clinicians.
• Visual Clot technology was developed to simplify the interpretation of viscoelastic tests.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate clinician perceptions of the Visual Clot technology.
• To identify the strengths and limitations of Visual Clot from a user perspective.
• To inform future development of visualization tools for hemostatic assays.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods study combining qualitative interviews and quantitative surveys.
• High-fidelity simulations involving coagulation scenarios using Visual Clot.
• Interviews with anesthesia personnel to gather feedback on perceived advantages and disadvantages.
• Thematic analysis of interview responses followed by Likert scale ratings in a questionnaire.

Main Results:

• Interviews with 77 participants revealed common themes: positive design, ease of learning, and a desire for quantitative data.
• The survey, completed by 23 participants, indicated that 21 found Visual Clot easy to learn.
• 16 respondents believed Visual Clot combined with ROTEM would improve management of complex hemostatic situations.

Conclusions:

• Anesthesia providers found Visual Clot well-designed, intuitive, and easy to learn.
• The technology is particularly useful for clinicians less experienced in coagulation management, especially during emergencies.
• A key area for improvement is the integration of quantitative information into the Visual Clot system.