Human factors testing in a novel automated peritoneal dialysis system

Area of Science:

• Nephrology
• Human Factors Engineering
• Medical Device Design

Background:

• Automated peritoneal dialysis (APD) systems require intuitive design for home use to minimize patient errors and anxiety.
• Usability issues in peritoneal dialysis (PD) are significant barriers to adoption, contributing to adverse outcomes and technique failure.
• End-stage kidney disease (ESKD) patients need user-friendly devices to manage their treatment effectively at home.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the usability and safety of the novel, gravity-based Archimedes APD system.
• To assess the human-device interface for intuitive operation and error reduction in PD.
• To determine if the APD system facilitates PD adoption by reducing user-related challenges.

Main Methods:

• A summative human factors usability study was performed on the Archimedes APD device.
• 15 PD patients and 15 dialysis nurses participated in the study.
• Participants underwent training, followed by a decay period, and were evaluated on Simulated Use and Knowledge tasks.

Main Results:

• Overall success rate for Simulated Use tasks was 97.3% across all users.
• Patients achieved a 96.8% success rate, and nurses achieved 97.8% for Simulated Use tasks.
• Knowledge tasks showed high success rates: 99.3% for patients and 98.6% for nurses.

Conclusions:

• The Archimedes APD system exhibits safe, accessible, and easy-to-use characteristics.
• The device's usability was confirmed for intended users and environments post-training.
• The study supports the Archimedes APD system as an improvement over the current standard of care for PD.