'PATIENTS/PATIENCE IN RESEARCH'. THE CHALLENGES OF INTERVIEWING ADOLESCENT MEDICAL DEVICE USERS IN HOSPITAL CLINICS

摘要

Eliciting user needs for products and services provides many challenges. When these challenges involve vulnerable users or environments that are difficult to infiltrate then the tasks become increasingly difficult to actualize. Young patients with Cystic Fibrosis took part in a study investigating their user needs in relation to a specific physiotherapy device. Considerations required for the study go beyond ethical application to include methods of engagement with young participants and awareness of issues such as cross infection with this particular cohort. This paper presents the experience of working through the realities of research with young patients in a clinical environment and details preliminary results of the evaluation of the Acapella? device.