Virtual Reality Could Transform Prototyping

Medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the United States, with some studies citing numbers as high as 250,000 annually. Many studies have begun to increasingly look at misuse and adverse events associated with medical devices. While these new advances typically allow for less-invasive procedures or the ability to treat conditions that previously had limited options, these modern procedures are dependent on technically proficient users dedicated to learning and mastering them. One qualitative study assessing device use errors and the prevention of adverse events found “the top three reported factors leading to the adverse event were the user, design problems and lack of training.” A report from the World Health Organization analyzing the challenges of increasingly complex technology notes primary reasons for adverse events with these new technologies are not only the result of improper training and longer learning curves, but also poor design. It also highlights an important implication of this challenge: medical devices are prevented from achieving their “full public health potential” due in large part to design challenges. A contributing factor to these challenges and errors made with complex medical devices is the design of the interface between humans and technologies. To encourage safe device use, designers must account for the environment in which the device is used, the attributes an...
Source: MDDI - Category: Medical Devices Authors: Tags: Design Source Type: news