Special Seminar at Thayer School of Engineering

Health Systems Design and Implementation: A User-Centered Perspective Presenter: Dr. Lauren Shluzas, Dept. of Mechanical Eng, Stanford University

March 30, 2015
4 pm - 5 pm
Location
Cummings 200, Thayer School
Sponsored by
Thayer School of Engineering
Audience
Public
More information
Haley Tucker

This seminar presents two studies at the intersection of health systems engineering and user-centered design. The first study examines similarities and differences in user-specified design inputs from expert and novice nurses, for the design of a medical syringe. The data illustrate a significant difference in the frequency of usability and functionality requirements between novice and expert users. Novices cited requirements associated with product usability over two times as often as did experts (39.4% vs. 17.1%); and experts cited requirements associated with product functionality over two time  as often as did novices (35.4% vs. 16.7%). For the design of complex systems, this research captures the unique contributions that novice and expert users make at discrete phases of the design process, and highlights the importance of considering potential user input biases during early stage design. The second study transitions from examining factors that impact the device design process, to designing and evaluating a head-mounted display for chronic wound measurement and assessment. Through leveraging the sensor capabilities of Google Glass, our team developed a hands-free digital image capture system that measures chronic wounds, tags images with patient identification information, and wirelessly transfers data to a patient’s electronic medical record (EMR). In a pilot study with wound care nurses at Stanford Hospital (n=16), we (i) examined feature preferences for hands-free digital image capture and documentation, and (ii) compared the Glass system to the state of the art in digital wound care photography, the Epic Haiku application. Preferred features of the hands-free system include the use of barcode scanning for patient identification, voice commands for wound annotation, and double blinking to capture images in a sterile manner. The study’s results have contributed to the implementation of wearable mobilecomputing technology for improved decision-making and data sharing in the healthcare field. Based on the studies presented, future research is proposed to examine healthcare delivery from a socio-technical perspective, with the goal of improving the usability and adoption of healthcare products and systems at a reduced cost to patients and providers.

Lauren Aquino Shluzas, Ph.D., is a Senior Research Engineer and Lecturer in the Dept. of Mechanical Engineering (Design Division) at Stanford University, where she directs a Healthcare Design Research program within Stanford’s Center for Design Research. She holds a joint appointment as a Clinical Assistant Professor within the General Medical Disciplines Division of the Stanford School of Medicine. Her research focuses on studying ways to improve the usability and utility of healthcare products and systems, in an effort to achieve a seamless integration into patients’ and providers’ lives. Dr. Shluzas completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship through the VA Palo Alto Health Care System. She holds an M.S. and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University, with a doctoral minor in Management Science & Engineering, and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from MIT. Her industrial experience includes serving as a Senior Engineer at Omnisonics Medical Technologies, and Product Development Engineer for the Minimally Invasive Surgery Group at Johnson & Johnson's Depuy Spine. 

Location
Cummings 200, Thayer School
Sponsored by
Thayer School of Engineering
Audience
Public
More information
Haley Tucker