USABILITY EVALUATIONS AS PART OF THE PROCUREMENT PROCESS:CASE STUDY OF HOSPITAL POINT OF CARE CARTS

摘要

Typical hospital procurement processes do not include a formal product evaluation beyond a short trialand soliciting of user preference. Usability evaluations can be an informative aid to determine the bestmatch for a particular healthcare institution. The ergonomics of three short-listed point of care cartswere evaluated by having hospital staff use the carts in realistic scenarios and environments. The carts’maneuverability, ease of recharging the point of care device, adequacy of space (storage and workspace),adjustability, keyboard/mouse position, suitability of use in the daily practice, and size were assessed.Usability testing of the point of care carts provided many insights into their strengths and weaknesses,such as whether or not they provided enough storage space for transporting medication to the patientbedside. The results of usability evaluations could be a critical factor in deciding which products can besuccessfully integrated into a particular healthcare institution.