Usability Analysis and Redesign of Infusion Pump User Interface

Abstract

Infusion pump is a vital medical device used to continually deliver medications or fluids to the patient's body in a controlled manner. This device is capable of delivering predetermined amounts of fluids and may be used to deliver nutrients, blood, or medications, such as antibiotics, pain medications, and chemotherapeutic. However, due to poorly designed user interface, misuses can be prevalent and might lead to serious medical errors, such as dosing errors. The aim of this research is to (1) identify usability problems of infusion pumps commonly used in oncology clinics and other outpatient settings through interviews and heuristic evaluation; (2) propose new designs to address the problems and eventually improve performance. During a heuristic evaluation, three major violations of human factors design principles were identified: (1) lack of feedback about the patient and the patient condition? Not sure if this is a violation; (2) poor flexibility and efficiency of use; (3) the position of start/stop button can limit the control over the task. We proposed a new interface design to overcome these issues.