TY - JOUR
T1 - How external and internal resources influence user action
T2 - the case of infusion devices
AU - Iacovides, Ioanna
AU - Blandford, Ann
AU - Cox, Anna
AU - Back, Jonathan
PY - 2016/9/21
Y1 - 2016/9/21
N2 - Human error can have potentially devastating consequences in contexts such as healthcare, but there is a rarely a simple dichotomy between errors and correct behaviour. Furthermore, there has been little consideration of how the activities of users (erroneous and otherwise) relate to the conceptual fit between user and device, despite the fact that healthcare technologies are becoming increasingly prevalent and complex. In this article, we present a study in which nurses’ conceptions of infusion device practice were elicited to identify misfits. By focusing on key concepts that users work with when setting up infusions and the extent to which the system supports them, our analysis highlights how actions are influenced by the different resources available to users including: the device itself; supporting artefacts; the conceptual understanding of the user; and the community of practice the user is part of. The findings reveal the ways in which users are resourceful in their day-to-day activities and also suggest potential vulnerabilities within the wider system that could threaten patient safety. Our approach is able to make previously under-explored aspects of practice visible, thus enabling insight into how users act and why.
AB - Human error can have potentially devastating consequences in contexts such as healthcare, but there is a rarely a simple dichotomy between errors and correct behaviour. Furthermore, there has been little consideration of how the activities of users (erroneous and otherwise) relate to the conceptual fit between user and device, despite the fact that healthcare technologies are becoming increasingly prevalent and complex. In this article, we present a study in which nurses’ conceptions of infusion device practice were elicited to identify misfits. By focusing on key concepts that users work with when setting up infusions and the extent to which the system supports them, our analysis highlights how actions are influenced by the different resources available to users including: the device itself; supporting artefacts; the conceptual understanding of the user; and the community of practice the user is part of. The findings reveal the ways in which users are resourceful in their day-to-day activities and also suggest potential vulnerabilities within the wider system that could threaten patient safety. Our approach is able to make previously under-explored aspects of practice visible, thus enabling insight into how users act and why.
KW - Conceptual fit
KW - Healthcare
KW - Human error
KW - Qualitative research
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84988606156&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s10111-016-0392-0
DO - 10.1007/s10111-016-0392-0
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84988606156
SN - 1435-5558
SP - 1
EP - 13
JO - Cognition, Technology and Work
JF - Cognition, Technology and Work
ER -