All users of poorly designed medical devices, equipment and technologies will at least operate inefficiently and at worst, make errors that can contribute to patient harm or death. No one knowingly buys second rate kit. Problems often don’t come to light until the item is actually in service and usability issues are highlighted. Traditional procurement models overlook the opportunity to eliminate these usability problems prior to purchase due to the main focus being on utility and cost. Recent changes to NHS procurement and the new Clinical and Product Assurance governance team (CaPA) might provide an opportunity to change this.
Could Human factors and ergonomics help provide the scientific evidence to determine what ‘high quality’ products are?
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