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Ergonomics Study in Healthcare Assistive Tools and Services

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A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032). This special issue belongs to the section "TeleHealth and Digital Healthcare".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2022) | Viewed by 21278

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Prof. Dr. Hsin-Chieh Wu

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Guest Editor

Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, Chaoyang University of Technology, Taichung 413310, Taiwan
Interests: ergonomics; work physiology; human-computer interface

Prof. Dr. Min-Chi Chiu

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Guest Editor

Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, National Chin Yi University of Technology, Taichung 41170, Taiwan
Interests: ergonomics; biomechanics; gerontechnology; ambient intelligence; decision making
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Dear Colleagues,

Healthcare assistive tools and services are important for addressing health problems and improving the quality of life. They form an indispensable component of healthcare systems in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of disease and in alleviating disabilities and functional deficiencies. Healthcare assistive tools and services are designed for human use, and the quality of the interaction between the humans and healthcare assistive tools or services has a critical effect on the safety, comfort, effectiveness, and satisfaction of the people. Badly designed healthcare assistive tools or services lead to discomfort and hazards as well as complaints by the users.

The study of ergonomics is aimed at understanding the interactions between humans and other elements of a system, and it applies human factor engineering to the design of artifacts to optimize human wellbeing and the overall system performance. Therefore, ergonomics in healthcare assistive tools and services is focused on how to design these tools and services according to the users’ characteristics, abilities, and limitations, i.e., on the basis of human-centered design. The requirements of the users should always be considered in the design process. Furthermore, usability evaluations of the healthcare assistive tools and services are necessary to confirm the safety, comfort, effectiveness, and satisfaction of the patients or users.

Professor Hsin-Chieh Wu is serving as Guest Editor of this Special Issue, with Prof. Min-Chi Chiu as Co-Guest Editor. If you would like to submit a manuscript or have questions concerning the submission of a manuscript, please contact the Guest Editors.

Prof. Dr. Hsin-Chieh Wu
Prof. Dr. Min-Chi Chiu
Guest Editors

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Keywords

Ergonomics study
Healthcare assistive tools
Healthcare services
Human-centered design
Usability evaluations

Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 1344 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Complexity Features of Eye Movement on Computer Activities Detection

by Twin Yoshua R. Destyanto and Ray F. Lin

Healthcare 2022, 10(6), 1016; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/healthcare10061016 - 31 May 2022

Viewed by 1484

Abstract

Recently, tools developed for detecting human activities have been quite prominent in contributing to health issue prevention and long-term healthcare. For this occasion, the current study aimed to evaluate the performance of eye-movement complexity features (from multi-scale entropy analysis) compared to eye-movement conventional features (from basic statistical measurements) on detecting daily computer activities, comprising reading an English scientific paper, watching an English movie-trailer video, and typing English sentences. A total of 150 students participated in these computer activities. The participants’ eye movements were captured using a desktop eye-tracker (GP3 HD Gazepoint™ Canada) while performing the experimental tasks. The collected eye-movement data were then processed to obtain 56 conventional and 550 complexity features of eye movement. A statistic test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), was performed to screen these features, which resulted in 45 conventional and 379 complexity features. These eye-movement features with four combinations were used to build 12 AI models using Support Vector Machine, Decision Tree, and Random Forest (RF). The comparisons of the models showed the superiority of complexity features (85.34% of accuracy) compared to conventional features (66.98% of accuracy). Furthermore, screening eye-movement features using ANOVA enhances 2.29% of recognition accuracy. This study proves the superiority of eye-movement complexity features. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ergonomics Study in Healthcare Assistive Tools and Services)

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16 pages, 4897 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Disclosing Critical Voice Features for Discriminating between Depression and Insomnia—A Preliminary Study for Developing a Quantitative Method

by Ray F. Lin, Ting-Kai Leung, Yung-Ping Liu and Kai-Rong Hu

Healthcare 2022, 10(5), 935; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/healthcare10050935 - 18 May 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1507

Abstract

Background: Depression and insomnia are highly related—insomnia is a common symptom among depression patients, and insomnia can result in depression. Although depression patients and insomnia patients should be treated with different approaches, the lack of practical biological markers makes it difficult to discriminate between depression and insomnia effectively. Purpose: This study aimed to disclose critical vocal features for discriminating between depression and insomnia. Methods: Four groups of patients, comprising six severe-depression patients, four moderate-depression patients, ten insomnia patients, and four patients with chronic pain disorder (CPD) participated in this preliminary study, which aimed to record their speaking voices. An open-source software, openSMILE, was applied to extract 384 voice features. Analysis of variance was used to analyze the effects of the four patient statuses on these voice features. Results: statistical analyses showed significant relationships between patient status and voice features. Patients with severe depression, moderate depression, insomnia, and CPD reacted differently to certain voice features. Critical voice features were reported based on these statistical relationships. Conclusions: This preliminary study shows the potential in developing discriminating models of depression and insomnia using voice features. Future studies should recruit an adequate number of patients to confirm these voice features and increase the number of data for developing a quantitative method. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ergonomics Study in Healthcare Assistive Tools and Services)

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23 pages, 2625 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Factors Influencing the Reputation of Assistive Technology Resources Center: An Example from Yunlin County, Taiwan

by Tsen-Yao Chang and Shao-Wei Huang

Healthcare 2022, 10(2), 243; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/healthcare10020243 - 27 Jan 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2921

Abstract

By the end of 2020, a total of 34 multifunctional Assistive Technology Resources Centers (ATR centers) were set up in 22 counties and cities in Taiwan. This study examines the perceptions of the users and their caregivers of the government-established ATR centers in Taiwan and examines the impact on the reputation of the public institution. The research framework and hypotheses were developed by examining the factors of “service convenience”, “center-related factors”, “justice”, and “perceived value” and using “perceived value” as a mediating variable. The data were collected through a questionnaire survey, and the structural equation model was used to test the model and verify the hypotheses. Research data was collected in various townships in Yunlin County A total of 320 questionnaires were collected. Of these respondents, 22% were aged 51–60. All the research hypotheses were positively and significantly verified. Of these, justice was the most important factor affecting the value of the ATR center’s services compared to convenience and center-related factors. Of convenience, service value and justice, service value was the most important factor affecting the perceived reputation of the public institution. According to the findings of this study, it is beyond expectation that the convenience of ATR is not the main factor influencing the service value, but rather the perceived justice is the most important factor. Therefore, ATR should be prioritized from the perspective of the service recipient, especially the perceived justice of the service, in order to best enhance the value of the service and improve the reputation of the public institution. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ergonomics Study in Healthcare Assistive Tools and Services)

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20 pages, 85729 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Pilot Tool of the Virtual Scenario Initial Dementia Cognitive Screening (VSIDCS) with a Cultural Exhibition for Improving the Standard Traditional Test

by Cheng-Li Liu and Shin-Ray Chang

Healthcare 2021, 9(9), 1160; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/healthcare9091160 - 04 Sep 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1885

Abstract

Dementia has become a serious global health problem for older people. In the past, primary screening for dementia was carried out by a paper test. These standard traditional tests (e.g., Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE)) have been used for many years. In addition to paper tests, is there another way to let people have better involvement and emotions during the test procedure? With the advancement of technology, the application of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) have changed and improved many medical technologies. However, there are few applications of VR and AR in dementia screening. The purpose of this study was to apply VR and AR to construct a pilot tool for virtual scenario initial dementia cognitive screening (VSIDCS) with a cultural exhibition, to achieve better involvement and emotions in participants. There were three operating interfaces designed for the system: a VR screening interface, cognitive board, and AR recognition interface. There were twenty-four middle-aged people (Female 10 and Male 14 between 50 and 65 years of age and with an average age of 58.7 years) selected for the test. The results of the experiments showed that VSIDCS test scores are consistent with those of the MoCA and MMSE. Additionally, VSIDCS can induce better involvement and emotions than the MoCA and MMSE. Participants showed better enthusiasm and more positive experiences during the VSIDCS test. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ergonomics Study in Healthcare Assistive Tools and Services)

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15 pages, 5348 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Predicting Emotional Valence of People Living with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Using Daily Voice Clips: A Preliminary Study

by Ray F. Lin, Shu-Hsing Cheng, Yung-Ping Liu, Cheng-Pin Chen, Yi-Jyun Wang and Shu-Ying Chang

Healthcare 2021, 9(9), 1148; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/healthcare9091148 - 02 Sep 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1620

Abstract

To detect depression in people living with the human immunodeficiency virus (PLHIV), this preliminary study developed an artificial intelligence (AI) model aimed at discriminating the emotional valence of PLHIV. Sixteen PLHIV recruited from the Taoyuan General Hospital, Ministry of Health and Welfare, participated in this study from 2019 to 2020. A self-developed mobile application (app) was installed on sixteen participants’ mobile phones and recorded their daily voice clips and emotional valence values. After data preprocessing of the collected voice clips was conducted, an open-source software, openSMILE, was applied to extract 384 voice features. These features were then tested with statistical methods to screen critical modeling features. Several decision-tree models were built based on various data combinations to test the effectiveness of feature selection methods. The developed model performed very well for individuals who reported an adequate amount of data with widely distributed valence values. The effectiveness of feature selection methods, limitations of collected data, and future research were discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ergonomics Study in Healthcare Assistive Tools and Services)

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13 pages, 266 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A User-Driven Approach to Prosthetic Upper Limb Development in Korea

by Naan Ju, Kyu-Hye Lee, Myoung-Ok Kim and Youngjin Choi

Healthcare 2021, 9(7), 839; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/healthcare9070839 - 02 Jul 2021

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2898

Abstract

Despite recent significant advances in technology and medicine, the number of patients who undergo amputation of body parts for various reasons continues to increase. Assistive devices such as prosthetic arms can enable limited activities in upper limb amputees and improve their quality of life. This study aims to help in the development of user-centered prosthetics by identifying user requirements and key considerations during selection of prosthetics. This study conducted a questionnaire survey after obtaining prior consent for persons with disabilities with upper limb amputation who visited orthosis companies, rehabilitation centers for the disabled, veteran’s hospitals, and labor welfare corporations. A modified questionnaire was conducted to upper limb prosthetic users and results were analysed using descriptive statistics and t-test. Results of the study showed that the main reasons for discontinuing the use of prosthetics were discomfort (discomfort in wear, weight, and difficulty of detachment) and complaints regarding design and function. Regardless of the prosthesis type, the color and design of the prosthesis were key considerations in prosthesis choices. Respondents indicated that they needed various prostheses designed according to the purpose and situation, such as for sports like golf and cycling as well as everyday use. Most of the respondents answered that buttoning shirts, tying knots, and using chopsticks were challenging or impossible to do on their own. Based on the results of this study, the quality of life of upper limb amputees can be improved if a prosthetic arm with various functions that can satisfy both the user’s needs and wants is developed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ergonomics Study in Healthcare Assistive Tools and Services)

23 pages, 10731 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Pillow Support Model with Partitioned Matching Based on Body Pressure Distribution Matrix

by Yu Li, Jianfeng Wu, Chunfu Lu, Zhichuan Tang and Chengmin Li

Healthcare 2021, 9(5), 571; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare9050571 - 12 May 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2926

Abstract

(1) Objective: Sleep problems have become one of the current serious public health issues. The purpose of this research was to construct an ideal pressure distribution model for head and neck support through research on the partitioned support surface of a pillow in order to guide the development of ergonomic pillows. (2) Methods: Seven typical memory foam pillows were selected as samples, and six subjects were recruited to carry out a body pressure distribution experiment. The average value of the first 10% of the samples in the comfort evaluation was calculated to obtain the relative ideal body pressure distribution matrix. Fuzzy clustering was performed on the ideal matrix to obtain the support surface partition. The ideal body pressure index of each partition was calculated, and a hierarchical analysis of each partition was then performed to determine the pressure sensitivity weight of each partition. Using these approaches, the key ergonomic node coordinates of the partitions of four different groups of people were extracted. The ergonomic node coordinates and the physical characteristics of the material were used to design a pillow prototype. Five subjects were recruited for each of the four groups to repeat the body pressure distribution experiment to evaluate the pillow prototype. (3) Results: An ideal support model with seven partitions, including three partitions in the supine position and four partitions in the lateral position, was constructed. The ideal body pressure distribution matrix and ideal body pressure indicators and pressure sensitivity weights for each partition were provided. The pillow that was designed and manufactured based on this model reproduced the ideal pressure distribution matrix evaluated by various groups of people. (4) Conclusion: The seven-partition ideal support model can effectively describe the head and neck support requirements of supine and lateral positions, which can provide strong support for the development of related products. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ergonomics Study in Healthcare Assistive Tools and Services)

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11 pages, 1219 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Different Assistive Seats on Ability of Elderly in Sit-To-Stand and Back-To-Sit Movements

by Shu-Zon Lou, Jia-Yuan You, Yi-Chuan Tsai and Yu-Chi Chen

Healthcare 2021, 9(4), 485; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/healthcare9040485 - 20 Apr 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2133

Abstract

The ability to perform sit-to-stand (STS) and back-to-sit (BTS) movements is important for the elderly to live independently and maintain a reasonable quality of life. Accordingly, this study investigated the STS and BTS motions of 28 healthy older adults (16 male and 12 female) under three different seat conditions, namely nonassisted, self-designed lifting seat, and UpLift seat. The biomechanical data were acquired using a three-dimensional (3D) motion analysis system and force plates, and were examined by one-way repeated-measures ANOVA to investigate the effects of the different seat conditions on the joint angle, joint moments, and movement duration time (α = 0.05). No significant difference was observed in the STS duration among the three test conditions. However, the BTS duration was significantly increased in the UpLift seat condition. Moreover, the peak flexion angle of the hip during STS motion was also significantly higher in the UpLift condition. For both motions (STS and BTS), the lifting seats significantly decreased the knee and hip joint moments, but significantly increased the ankle joint moment. Moreover, compared to the nonassistive seat, both assistive lifting seats required a greater ankle joint strength to complete the STS and BTS motions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ergonomics Study in Healthcare Assistive Tools and Services)

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16 pages, 1724 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Investigation of Human Errors in Medication Adverse Event Improvement Priority Using a Hybrid Approach

by Min-Chih Hsieh, Po-Yi Chiang, Yu-Chi Lee, Eric Min-Yang Wang, Wen-Chuan Kung, Ya-Tzu Hu, Ming-Shi Huang and Huei-Chi Hsieh

Healthcare 2021, 9(4), 442; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/healthcare9040442 - 09 Apr 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2543

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyze and provide an in-depth improvement priority for medication adverse events. Thus, the Human Factor Analysis and Classification System with subfactors was used in this study to analyze the adverse events. Subsequently, the improvement priority for the subfactors was determined using the hybrid approach in terms of the Analytical Hierarchy Process and the fuzzy Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution. In Of the 157 medical adverse events selected from the Taiwan Patient-safety Reporting system, 25 cases were identified as medication adverse events. The Human Factor Analysis and Classification System and root cause analysis were used to analyze the error factors and subfactors that existed in the medication adverse events. Following the analysis, the Analytical Hierarchy Process and the fuzzy Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution were used to determine the improvement priority for subfactors. The results showed that the decision errors, crew resource management, inadequate supervision, and organizational climate contained more types of subfactors than other error factors in each category. In the current study, 16 improvement priorities were identified. According to the results, the improvement priorities can assist medical staff, researchers, and decisionmakers in improving medication process deficiencies efficiently. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ergonomics Study in Healthcare Assistive Tools and Services)

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