New Books Focus on Applications of Patient Ergonomics in Real-World Environments

Technology is constantly generating countless important advances in healthcare. But there has been much less work focused on how patients and clinicians interact with technology to ensure accessibility, usability, patient safety, improved performance for clinicians, and ultimately , improving health.

Richard Holden, PhD, a researcher at the Regenstrief Institute, is a national leader in the growing field of patient ergonomics – the application of human factors engineering and psychology to design and assessment of technologies for patients to improve health.

He is the co-editor (with Rupa S. Valdez, PhD, University of Virginia) of the two recently published volumes “The Patient Factor: A Handbook on Patient Ergonomics”, aimed at medical device manufacturers, clinicians and the healthcare system. health. administrators and researchers. The books focus on the applications of patient ergonomics in real-world environments, exploring, among other elements, four areas of patient ergonomics:

• consumer health information technology;
• patient-professional communication;
• self-care
• patient safety

With $ 3.5 million in funding from the National Institute on Aging, Dr. Holden is currently developing and testing computer applications to aid in the care of older people with chronic illnesses.