Evaluating Usability of a Touchless Image Viewer in the Operating Room

Abstract

Background Availability of patient-specific image data, gathered from preoperatively conducted studies, like computed tomography scans and magnetic resonance imaging studies, during a surgical procedure is a key factor for surgical success and patient safety. Several alternative input methods, including recognition of hand gestures, have been proposed for surgeons to interact with medical image viewers during an operation. Previous studies pointed out the need for usability evaluation of these systems. Objectives We describe the accuracy and usability of a novel software system, which integrates gesture recognition via machine learning into an established image viewer. Methods This pilot study is a prospective, observational trial, which asked surgeons to interact with software to perform two standardized tasks in a sterile environment, modeled closely to a real-life situation in an operating room. To assess usability, the validated “System Usability Scale” (SUS) was used. On a technical level, we also evaluated the accuracy of the underlying neural network. Results The neural network reached 98.94% accuracy while predicting the gestures during validation. Eight surgeons with an average of 6.5 years of experience participated in the usability study. The system was rated on average with 80.25 points on the SUS. Conclusion The system showed good overall usability; however, additional areas of potential improvement were identified and further usability studies are needed. Because the system uses standard PC hardware, it made for easy integration into the operating room.

Comparison of German Translations of the System Usability Scale – Which to Take?

“…the version presented by Rummel et al However, until now, no validation was performed and the references are missing or are malfunctioning. Among others Bockhacker et al [17] and Schubhan et al [18] used this translation to evaluate their systems. The version of Lohmann and Schäffer is used in different projects to measure their users satisfaction or the usability of their system [19,20].…”

Agile, Easily Applicable, and Useful eHealth Usability Evaluations: Systematic Review and Expert-Validation

“…The term eHealth refers to the use of information and communication technologies necessary for the operability of health systems. [1][2][3] Some eHealth systems are aimed at medical staff for medical decision support, [4][5][6] while others are aimed at patients for their personal welfare. [7][8][9] eHealth systems, such as health information systems, are becoming more prevalent due to the rapid development of information and communication technologies 10 and have the potential to improve health care.…”

Human Factors and Organizational Issues in Health Informatics: Innovations and Opportunities

“…Mobile apps [105,113] [17,29,69,70,81,87,91,99,118,119,126,129,33,130,132,142, 34,36,37,49,50,53,67] [ 10,11,92,96,98,[123][124][125][50][51][52]55,61,66,72,84] [ 13,15,47,54,[56][57][58]63,75,85,108,110,23,[115][116][117]121,122,127,131,[25][26][27]30,35,40,41] Fig. 2 Relative weighting of HF/E outcomes by domain [1].…”