This article outlines how a Palm- or Newton-based PDA (personal digital assistant) system for online event recording was used to record and analyze concurrent events. We describe the features of this PDA-based system, called the FIT-System (flexible interface technique), and its application to the analysis of concurrent events in complex behavioral processes--in this case, anesthesia work processes. The patented FIT-System has a unique user interface design allowing the user to design an interface template with a pencil and paper or using a transparency film. The template usually consists of a drawing or sketch that includes icons or symbols that depict the observer's representation of the situation to be observed. In this study, the FIT-System allowed us to create a design for fast, intuitive online recording of concurrent events using a set of 41 observation codes. An analysis of concurrent events leads to a description of action density, and our results revealed a characteristic distribution of action density during the administration of anesthesia in the operating room. This distribution indicated the central role of the overlapping operations in the action sequences of medical professionals as they deal with the varying requirements of this complex task. We believe that the FIT-System for online recording of concurrent events in complex behavioral processes has the potential to be useful across a broad spectrum of research areas.
The obiective is to analyse anaesthesia workplaces in a multidisciplinary operating room facility, to understand the causes for problematic work procedures aild to decide for improvements. The analysis include: observations, computerised recording of tasks and movements with the FIT-System, video and photo documentation. Documents are designed to confront the users with their own work situation and to support the explication of their knowledge in a semi-structured interview. The & are important lacks in: the misplaced devices outside of the human's zones of reach and view, the difficult procedures to attach the lines between the patient and the devices and inconsistent workplace layouts. The causes therefore are design decision faults during the installation of the facility The decisions for improvements are: the development of a new concept for a flexible equipment positioning and the design of a tool for cable handling. The discussion is, that from the project's beginning the users mentioned the handling of the cables and lines as the mainly cause for work difficulties. But the outstanding ergonomist had a broader view of problems. The used method invokes a mutual (ergonomist and users) learn process and results in a common understandmg of the problem's background.
Despite user involvement, the problems of acceptance and sustainability of systems design still remains. The thousands of methods of traditional, user-centred or co-operative design supports the view, that the problem solving isn't the problem, but the problem is the mutual understanding of the problem. The presented work analyse design experiences, derive principles in participatory design practices and develop a model - not of design stages - but of the roles, tasks and processes in the interactions of designers and users. Result is a structure of four principles: simplicity, confrontation, character of games and overview. The developed B-fore model shows the importance of reciprocal changes of the processes “show-recognise” and “explain-understand”. This lead to a co-operation of interpretations before (‘B-fore’) the co-operation in actions of problem solving begins.
Although from the very beginning of the study the anaesthesia personnel quoted the handling of the lines connecting patients and devices as the main cause for working difficulties, the external ergonomist could contribute to a broader view of the problems. The method presented here initiated a mutual learning process between ergonomist and users and resulted in a common understanding of the problems and their causes. Compared to the traditional consulting process, more time and efforts were necessary but were offset by the users' acceptance of the improvements and the prevention of design errors.
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