[Medical device use errors].
Medical devices define our everyday patient treatment processes. But despite the beneficial effect, every use can also lead to damages. Use errors are thus often explained by human failure. But human errors can never be completely extinct, especially in such complex work processes like those in medicine that often involve time pressure. Therefore we need error-tolerant work systems in which potential problems are identified and solved as early as possible. In this context human engineering uses the TOP principle: technological before organisational and then person-related solutions. But especially in everyday medical work we realise that error-prone usability concepts can often only be counterbalanced by organisational or person-related measures. Thus human failure is pre-programmed. In addition, many medical work places represent a somewhat chaotic accumulation of individual devices with totally different user interaction concepts. There is not only a lack of holistic work place concepts, but of holistic process and system concepts as well. However, this can only be achieved through the co-operation of producers, healthcare providers and clinical users, by systematically analyzing and iteratively optimizing the underlying treatment processes from both a technological and organizational perspective. What we need is a joint platform like medilab V of the TU Berlin, in which the entire medical treatment chain can be simulated in order to discuss, experiment and model--a key to a safe and efficient healthcare system of the future.
Friesdorf
Wolfgang
W
Lehrstuhl für Arbeitswissenschaft und Produktergonomie, Technische Universität Berlin, Germany. wolfgang.friesdorf@awb.tu-berlin.de
Marsolek
Ingo
I
D000818:Animals; D004864:Equipment and Supplies / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000592:standards; D006804:Ergonomics / Q000592:standards; D005858:Germany; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards; D006694:Holistic Health; D008318:Malpractice / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D017211:Treatment Failure