Usability Testing of a Hair Apposition Device for Scalp Laceration: A Manikin Simulation Study

Area of Science:

• Medical Devices
• Surgical Techniques
• Emergency Medicine

Background:

• Scalp lacerations often require closure, with the hair apposition technique (HAT) being a viable method.
• Traditional HAT may necessitate multiple operators, posing challenges in certain clinical scenarios.
• The hair apposition device (HADev) was developed to facilitate single-operator HAT.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the usability of the hair apposition device (HADev) for single-operator scalp laceration closure.
• To compare the perceived difficulty and satisfaction between HADev and traditional HAT.
• To assess the success rate and procedure time of HAT using HADev.

Main Methods:

• Medical professionals experienced in HAT used HADev on manikins with short (8 cm) and long (20 cm) hair.
• Participants completed two procedures per hair length, with randomized sequence of hair length.
• Success rates, procedure times, perceived difficulty, and satisfaction were recorded via questionnaires.

Main Results:

• HADev demonstrated a 95% overall success rate with a median procedure time of approximately 1 minute for both hair lengths.
• Participants reported significantly lower perceived difficulty (median score 1) and higher satisfaction (median score 1) with HADev compared to HAT (median scores 2 and 2-3, respectively).
• Success rates for physicians and residents ranged from 85.7% to 100%, and procedure times were under 70 seconds.

Conclusions:

• The hair apposition device (HADev) is feasible for single-operator use in a simulated environment for closing scalp lacerations.
• HADev shows potential to improve upon the usability and user experience of the traditional hair apposition technique.
• Further research is warranted to enhance HADev's usability and evaluate its clinical applicability.