Using a digital data analytic tool to capture dynamic change in coordination patterns: An exploratory study of the Apollo 13 mission.

The operational environment of complex sociotechnical systems is inherently uncertain, demanding constant coordination restructuring to adapt to dynamic situational demands. However, coordination changes in the Human Factors and Ergonomics Field have primarily been studied using static methods, overlooking moment-by-moment adjustments. In the current study, we address coordination restructuring by using THEME, a digital analytical tool capable of visualising and exploring coordination restructuring from a multi-layered perspective.

Responsible use of AI in military systems: prospects and challenges.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) holds great potential for the military domain but is also seen as prone to data bias and lacking transparency and explainability. In order to advance the trustworthiness of AI-enabled systems, a dynamic approach to the development, deployment and use of AI systems is required. This approach, when incorporating ethical principles such as lawfulness, traceability, reliability and bias mitigation, is called 'Responsible AI'.

An ideographic study into physiology, alcohol craving and lapses during one hundred days of daily life monitoring.

Introduction: Alcohol craving is a highly challenging obstacle to achieve long-term abstinence. Making alcohol use disorder patients timely aware of high-risk craving situations may protect them against relapse by prompting them to mobilize their coping resources. Current advances in wearable and smart-phone technology provide novel opportunities for the development of detecting these situations of heightened risk of craving, by enabling continuous tracking of fluctuations in psychological and physiological parameters.

A standardized validity assessment protocol for physiological signals from wearable technology: Methodological underpinnings and an application to the E4 biosensor.

Wearable physiological measurement devices for ambulatory research with novel sensing technology are introduced with ever increasing frequency, requiring fast, standardized, and rigorous validation of the physiological signals measured by these devices and their derived parameters. At present, there is a lack of consensus on a standardized protocol or framework with which to test the validity of this new technology, leading to the use of various (often unfit) methods. This study introduces a comprehensive validity assessment protocol for physiological signals (electrodermal activity and cardiovascular activity) and investigates the validity of the E4 wearable (an example of such a new device) on the three levels proposed by the protocol: (1) the signal level, with a cross-correlation; (2) the parameter level, with Bland-Altman plots; and (3) the event level, with the detection of physiological changes due to external stressor levels via event difference plots.

An extended protocol for usability validation of medical devices: Research design and reference model.

This paper proposes and demonstrates an extended protocol for usability validation testing of medical devices. A review of currently used methods for the usability evaluation of medical devices revealed two main shortcomings. Firstly, the lack of methods to closely trace the interaction sequences and derive performance measures.

Combining situated Cognitive Engineering with a novel testing method in a case study comparing two infusion pump interfaces.

We validated the usability of a new infusion pump interface designed with a situated Cognitive Engineering approach by comparing it to a reference interface using a novel testing method employing repeated measurements and process measures, in addition to traditional outcome measures. The sample consisted of 25 nurses who performed eight critical tasks three times. Performance measures consisted of number and type of errors, deviations from a pre-established normative path solution, task completion times, number of keystrokes, mental effort and preferences in use.

Mapping the Demand for Serious Games in Postgraduate Medical Education Using the Entrustable Professional Activities Framework.

Objective: Serious games are potentially powerful tools for residency training and increasingly attract attention from medical educators. At present, serious games have little evidence-based relations with competency-based medical education, which may impede their incorporation into residency training programs. The aim of this study was to identify highly valued entrustable professional activities (EPAs) to support designers in the development of new, serious games built on a valid needs-assessment.

Assessing the structure of non-routine decision processes in Airline Operations Control.

Unfamiliar severe disruptions challenge Airline Operations Control professionals most, as their expertise is stretched to its limits. This study has elicited the structure of Airline Operations Control professionals' decision process during unfamiliar disruptions by mapping three macrocognitive activities on the decision ladder: sensemaking, option evaluation and action planning. The relationship between this structure and decision quality was measured.

Effects of Newly Designed Hospital Buildings on Staff Perceptions: A Pre-Post Study to Validate Design Decisions.

Objective: This study investigates effects of the newly built nonpatient-related buildings of a large university medical center on staff perceptions and whether the design objectives were achieved.

Background: The medical center is gradually renewing its hospital building area of 200,000 m.(2) This redevelopment is carefully planned and because lessons learned can guide design decisions of the next phase, the medical center is keen to evaluate the performance of the new buildings.

Task analysis of information technology-mediated medication management in outpatient care.

Aims: Educating physicians in the procedural as well as cognitive skills of information technology (IT)-mediated medication management could be one of the missing links for the improvement of patient safety. We aimed to compose a framework of tasks that need to be addressed to optimize medication management in outpatient care.

Methods: Formal task analysis: decomposition of a complex task into a set of subtasks.

Network measures for characterising team adaptation processes.

Unlabelled: The aim of this study was to advance the conceptualisation of team adaptation by applying social network analysis (SNA) measures in a field study of a paediatric cardiac surgical team adapting to changes in task complexity and ongoing dynamic complexity. Forty surgical procedures were observed by trained human factors researchers, and communication processes amongst team members were recorded. Focusing on who talked to whom, team communication structures, in response to changing task demands, were characterised by various network measures.

Training situational awareness to reduce surgical errors in the operating room.

Background: Surgical errors result from faulty decision-making, misperceptions and the application of suboptimal problem-solving strategies, just as often as they result from technical failure. To date, surgical training curricula have focused mainly on the acquisition of technical skills. The aim of this review was to assess the validity of methods for improving situational awareness in the surgical theatre.

With how many users should you test a medical infusion pump? Sampling strategies for usability tests on high-risk systems.

Usability testing is recognized as an effective means to improve the usability of medical devices and prevent harm for patients and users. Effectiveness of problem discovery in usability testing strongly depends on size and representativeness of the sample. We introduce the late control strategy, which is to continuously monitor effectiveness of a study towards a preset target.

The role of cognitive abilities in laparoscopic simulator training.

Learning minimally invasive surgery (MIS) differs substantially from learning open surgery and trainees differ in their ability to learn MIS. Previous studies mainly focused on the role of visuo-spatial ability (VSA) on the learning curve for MIS. In the current study, the relationship between spatial memory, perceptual speed, and general reasoning ability, in addition to VSA, and performance on a MIS simulator is examined.

Process simulation during the design process makes the difference: process simulations applied to a traditional design.

Objective: The objective is evaluation of a traditionally designed operating room using simulation of various surgical workflows.

Background: A literature search showed that there is no evidence for an optimal operating room layout regarding the position and size of an ultraclean ventilation (UCV) canopy with a separate preparation room for laying out instruments and in which patients are induced in the operating room itself. Neither was literature found reporting on process simulation being used for this application.

Methods for studying medical device technology and practitioner cognition: the case of user-interface issues with infusion pumps.

Purpose: The aims of this study were to investigate how a variety of research methods is commonly employed to study technology and practitioner cognition. User-interface issues with infusion pumps were selected as a case because of its relevance to patient safety.

Methods: Starting from a Cognitive Systems Engineering perspective, we developed an Impact Flow Diagram showing the relationship of computer technology, cognition, practitioner behavior, and system failure in the area of medical infusion devices.

Systematic review of serious games for medical education and surgical skills training.

Background: The application of digital games for training medical professionals is on the rise. So-called 'serious' games form training tools that provide a challenging simulated environment, ideal for future surgical training. Ultimately, serious games are directed at reducing medical error and subsequent healthcare costs.

A prospective study of paediatric cardiac surgical microsystems: assessing the relationships between non-routine events, teamwork and patient outcomes.

Objective: Paediatric cardiac surgery has a low error tolerance and demands high levels of cognitive and technical performance. Growing evidence suggests that further improvements in patient outcomes depend on system factors, in particular, effective team skills. The hypotheses that small intraoperative non-routine events (NREs) can escalate to more serious situations and that effective teamwork can prevent the development of serious situations were examined to develop a method to assess these skills and to provide evidence for improvements in training and performance.

Assessing and improving teamwork in cardiac surgery.

Objective: Cardiac surgery (PCS) has a low error tolerance, is dependent upon sophisticated organisational structures and demands high levels of cognitive and technical performance. The aim of the study was to assess the role of intraoperative non-routine events (NREs) and team performance on paediatric cardiac surgery outcomes. The current paper focuses on improving methods for studying teamwork; a companion paper will report on the empirical results.

Designing a licence plate for memorability.

Good memorability of licence plates is important in those cases where licence plates are viewed for a brief period of time and the information is essential for police investigations. The purpose of the current study was to design a new Dutch licence plate that could be remembered well. A memory experiment was conducted, in which 16 different character arrangements were presented for both 450 and 550 ms to 48 participants with ages varying between 20 and 57 years.

Effects of two types of intra-team feedback on developing a shared mental model in Command & Control teams.

In two studies, the effect of two types of intra-team feedback on developing a shared mental model in Command & Control teams was investigated. A distinction is made between performance monitoring and team self-correction. Performance monitoring is the ability of team members to monitor each other's task execution and give feedback during task execution.

Cognitive task analysis and innovation of training: the case of structured troubleshooting.

Troubleshooting is often a time-consuming and difficult activity. The question of how the training of novice technicians can be improved was the starting point of the research described in this article. A cognitive task analysis was carried out consisting of two preliminary observational studies on troubleshooting in naturalistic settings, combined with an interpretation of the data obtained in the context of the existing literature.