A Comparison of the Usability of Locally-Produced and Commercially-Acquired Telemedicine Device for Filipino Health Workers

Abstract

With the advancement of technology today, various industries have benefitted from innovation of systems that have been and are being developed, with the healthcare sector being one of them. Usability evaluation of medical devices is essential to ensure its effectiveness and to increase acceptability of the technology. In the Philippines, there has been a project on development of a locally-produced medical device. Similar to any other health care applications, there is a need to ensure that this is usable for Filipino health workers. A usability evaluation was conducted on the prototype of this telemedicine device, focusing on maternal monitoring, with user testing and interviews. Another similar device (commercially-acquired) was evaluated and compared to the existing design. Results of the evaluation indicate that there were usability problems in terms of the hardware and interface for both the locally-produced and commercially-acquired device designs. The former has a lot to improve in terms of its interface. Both still needs further improvement to make it easier for users to use the device. Usability evaluation has been very useful in identifying the areas for improvement in the design of the medical device and is seen as an essential part of its development.