The rapid growth of home health care has raised many unsolved issues and will have consequences that are far too broad for any one group to analyze in their entirety. Yet a major influence on the safety, quality, and effectiveness of home health care will be the set of issues encompassed by the field of human factors research-the discipline of applying what is known about human capabilities and limitations to the design of products, processes, systems, and work environments. To address these challenges, the National Research Council began a multidisciplinary study to examine a diverse range of behavioral and human factors issues resulting from the increasing migration of medical devices, technologies, and care practices into the home. Its goal is to lay the groundwork for a thorough integration of human factors research with the design and implementation of home health care devices, technologies, and practices. On October 1 and 2, 2009, a group of human factors and other experts met to consider a diverse range of behavioral and human factors issues associated with the increasing migration of medical devices, technologies, and care practices into the home. This book is a summary of that workshop, representing the culmination of the first phase of the study.

In the past 50 years the development of a wide range of medical devices has improved the quality of people's lives and revolutionized the prevention and treatment of disease, but it also has contributed to the high cost of health care. Issues that shape the invention of new medical devices and affect their introduction and use are explored in this volume. The authors examine the role of federal support, the decision-making process behind private funding, the need for reforms in regulation and product liability, the effects of the medical payment system, and other critical topics relevant to the development of new devices.

Americans praise medical technology for saving lives and improving health. Yet, new technology is often cited as a key factor in skyrocketing medical costs. This volume, second in the Medical Innovation at the Crossroads series, examines how economic incentives for innovation are changing and what that means for the future of health care. Up-to-date with a wide variety of examples and case studies, this book explores how payment, patent, and regulatory policiesâ€"as well as the involvement of numerous government agenciesâ€"affect the introduction and use of new pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and surgical procedures. The volume also includes detailed comparisons of policies and patterns of technological innovation in Western Europe and Japan. This fact-filled and practical book will be of interest to economists, policymakers, health administrators, health care practitioners, and the concerned public.

Energy Efficiency of Medical Devices and Healthcare Facilities provides comprehensive coverage of cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research, and commercial solutions in this field. The authors discuss energy-related challenges, such as energy-efficient design, including renewable energy, of different medical devices from a hardware and mechanical perspectives, as well as energy management solutions and techniques in healthcare networks and facilities. They also discuss energy-related trade-offs to maximize the medical devices availability, especially battery-operated ones, while providing immediate response and low latency communication in emergency situations, sustainability and robustness for chronic disease treatment, in addition to high protection against cyber-attacks that may threaten patients’ lives. Finally, the book examines technologies and future trends of next generation healthcare from an energy efficiency and management point of view, such as personalized or smart health and the Internet of Medical Things — IoMT, where patients can participate in their own treatment through innovative medical devices and software applications and tools. The books applied approach makes it a useful resource for engineering researchers and practitioners of all levels involved in medical devices development, healthcare systems, and energy management of healthcare facilities. Graduate students in mechanical and electric engineering, and computer science students and professionals also benefit. Provides in-depth knowledge and understanding of the benefits of energy efficiency in the design of medical devices and healthcare networks and facilities Presents best practices and state-of-art techniques and commercial solutions in energy management of healthcare networks and systems Explores key energy tradeoffs to provide scalable, robust, and effective healthcare systems and networks

This book introduces human factors engineering (HFE) principles, guidelines, and design methods for medical device design. It starts with an overview of physical, perceptual, and cognitive abilities and limitations, and their implications for design. This analysis produces a set of human factors principles that can be applied across many design challenges, which are then applied to guidelines for designing input controls, visual displays, auditory displays (alerts, alarms, warnings), and human-computer interaction. Specific challenges and solutions for various medical device domains, such as robotic surgery, laparoscopic surgery, artificial organs, wearables, continuous glucose monitors and insulin pumps, and reprocessing, are discussed. Human factors research and design methods are provided and integrated into a human factors design lifecycle, and a discussion of regulatory requirements and procedures is provided, including guidance on what human factors activities should be conducted when and how they should be documented. This hands-on professional reference is an essential introduction and resource for students and practitioners in HFE, biomedical engineering, industrial design, graphic design, user-experience design, quality engineering, product management, and regulatory affairs. Teaches readers to design medical devices that are safer, more effective, and less error prone; Explains the role and responsibilities of regulatory agencies in medical device design; Introduces analysis and research methods such as UFMEA, task analysis, heuristic evaluation, and usability testing.

This publication addresses the role of the biomedical engineer in the development, regulation, management, training, and use of medical devices. The first part of the book looks at the biomedical engineering profession globally as part of the health workforce: global numbers and statistics, professional classification, general education and training, professional associations, and the certification process. The second part addresses all of the different roles that the biomedical engineer can have in the life cycle of the technology, from research and development, and innovation, mainly undertaken in academia; the regulation of devices entering the market; and the assessment or evaluation in selecting and prioritizing medical devices (usually at national level); to the role they play in the management of devices from selection and procurement to safe use in healthcare facilities. The annexes present comprehensive information on academic programs, professional societies, and relevant WHO and UN documents related to human resources for health as well as the reclassification proposal for ILO. This publication can be used to encourage the availability, recognition, and increased participation of biomedical engineers as part of the health workforce, particularly following the recent adoption of the recommendations of the UN High-Level Commission on Health Employment and Economic Growth, the WHO Global Strategy on Human Resources for Health, and the establishment of national health workforce accounts. The document also supports the aim of reclassification of the role of the biomedical engineer as a specific engineer that supports the development, access, and use of medical devices within the national, regional, and global occupation classification system.