Applied Ergonomics最新文献

Virtual reality (VR) has gained significant attention as a technology that provides immersive experiences similar to the real world. In order for a VR system to be accepted, usability needs to be guaranteed. Accordingly, VR-related researchers are continuing their efforts to improve VR systems by conducting usability evaluations. However, existing studies have limitations in that they cannot comprehensively evaluate the detailed properties of VR systems by using questionnaires developed for general product usability evaluation or focusing only on some usability aspects of VR systems. This suggests it may be difficult to fully capture usability issues in a VR system, and that it is necessary to develop a usability evaluation tool that reflects the specific characteristics of the VR system. Therefore, this study develops and proposes the Virtual Reality System Usability Questionnaire (VRSUQ). In the development of the questionnaire, items were structured based on a literature review and discussions with experts. To account for the diverse characteristics of VR systems, the validity of the questionnaire was verified through both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, utilizing data obtained from three distinct experimental studies that employed different VR systems. In addition, by comparing the results of VRSUQ with the results from the System Usability Scale, which is widely used for perceived usability evaluation, alternative possibilities for using VRSUQ are presented. Further testing on various VR platforms is needed to ensure the reliability and validity of VRSUQ, and as results from using VRSUQ are accumulated, it is expected to be widely used as a more powerful and robust VR-specific perceived usability evaluation tool.

Motion sickness (MS) poses challenges for individuals affected, hindering their activities and travel. This study investigates the effect of a visual dynamic device, forming an artificial horizon plane, on symptoms and physiological changes induced by MS. This device consists of vertical light-emitting diodes whose illumination varies according to the boat's movements. Fifteen subjects with moderate-to-severe MS susceptibility were exposed to a seasickness simulator with and without the device. Symptoms were assessed immediately after exposure. Time spent in the simulator, heart rate, and temperature were also recorded. Symptom intensity at the end of the experience did not differ, but the time spent in the simulator was significantly longer with the device (+46%). Variations in heart rate were also observed. The device delays symptom onset and can be used as a tool against MS. Further research is needed to evaluate its effects, for example, during more prolonged exposure to MS-inducing stimuli.

Dynamic sitting may mitigate low back pain during prolonged seated work. The current study compared pelvis and lumbar spine kinematics, pain, and work productivity, in traditional and dynamic sitting. Sixteen participants completed three 20-min blocks of computer work and activity guided tasks in a traditional office chair or backless and multiaxial rotating seat pan while kinematics were measured from accelerometers on the low back. Pain ratings were recorded on a visual analogue scale every 10 min. Similar pelvis and lumbar kinematics emerged when performing computer work in traditional and dynamic sitting. Pelvis and lumbar sagittal and frontal plane shifts and fidgets were largest for dynamic sitting in the activity guided tasks. Buttocks pain was higher in dynamic sitting, but low back pain and work productivity were unaffected. Dynamic sitting increased spine movement during activity guided tasks, without negatively impacting lumbar kinematics, low back pain, or productivity during seated computer work.

To optimise soldier protection within body armour systems, knowledge of the boundaries of essential thoraco-abdominal organs is necessary to inform coverage requirements. However, existing methods of organ boundary identification are costly and time consuming, limiting widespread adoption for use on soldier populations. The aim of this study was to evaluate a novel method of using 3D organ models to identify essential organ boundaries from low dose planar X-rays and 3D external surface scans of the human torso. The results revealed that, while possible to reconstruct 3D organs using template 3D organ models placed over X-ray images, the boundary data (relating to the size and position of each organ) obtained from the reconstructed organs differed significantly from MRI organ data. The magnitude of difference varied between organs. The most accurate anatomical boundaries were the left, right, and inferior boundaries of the heart, and lateral boundaries for the liver and spleen. Visual inspection of the data demonstrated that 11 of 18 organ models were successfully integrated within the 3D space of the participant's surface scan. These results suggest that, if this method is further refined and evaluated, it has potential to be used as a tool for estimating body armour coverage requirements.

Aim

The study aims to evaluate the impact of exposure to a highly realistic virtual facility tour prior to the on-site visit on patients and their parent/care partner's self-reported anxiety and physiological measures on the day of the procedure.

Background

Preoperative anxiety impacts pediatric surgical outcomes; therefore, it is important for healthcare providers to address and manage preoperative anxiety in pediatric patients to promote better outcomes and overall wellbeing. Providing patients with a preview of the care setting before the actual procedure can be highly beneficial in mitigating preoperative anxiety.

Methodology

In this pilot randomized experimental study, sixteen patient-care partner dyads scheduled to undergo a gastrointestinal procedure either received a virtual tour identical to the places experienced on the day of the procedure (experimental group) or received no virtual tour (control group). Self-reported measures of anxiety were collected from participants before and on the day of the procedure. Physiological measures of heart rate variability and skin conductance were collected on the day of the procedure from both groups.

Results

There were no significant differences between the self-reported and physiological measures of anxiety between the child groups. However, parents in the control group reported lower levels of anxiety and demonstrated lower levels of stress based on their physiological measures.

Conclusion

Exposure to virtual facility tours days before the surgery was not helpful in positively impacting the psychological measures related to preoperative anxiety levels for the participants.

There is currently a lack of tools that focus on strengthening resilient performance of healthcare systems through learning from positive healthcare events. Such tools are needed to operationalize and translate resilience in healthcare and, thus, advance the field of patient safety by learning from both positive and negative events and outcomes. The purpose of this study is to describe the developmental process of one such tool to enable operationalization of resilient healthcare and aid future tool development. The development process featured a complex, multi-step, design through involvement of a range of different stakeholders.

A combination of publicly available platforms, cross-sectional knowledge, step-by step instructions and a learning tool that engages participants in collaborative practice to facilitate discussions across stakeholders and system levels is proposed as a means to create awareness of when and what contributes to resilient performance is fundamental to understanding and improving healthcare system resilience.

Work-related musculoskeletal disorder of upper extremity multi-task assessment methods (Revised Strain Index [RSI], Distal Upper Extremity Tool [DUET]) and manual handling multi-task assessment methods (Revised NIOSH Lifting Equation [RNLE], Lifting Fatigue Failure Tool [LiFFT]) were compared. RSI and DUET showed a strong correlation (r_s = 0.933, p < 0.001) where increasing risk factor exposure resulted in increasing outputs for both methods. RSI and DUET demonstrated fair agreement (κ = 0.299) in how the two methods classified outputs into risk categories (high, moderate or low) when assessing the same tasks. The RNLE and LiFFT showed a strong correlation (r_s = 0.903, p = 0.001) where increasing risk factor exposure resulted in increasing outputs, and moderate agreement (κ = 0.574) in classifying the outputs into risk categories (high, moderate or low) when assessing the same tasks. The multi-task assessment methods provide consistent output magnitude rankings in terms of increasing exposure, however some differences exist between how different methods classify the outputs into risk categories.

Sterile Processing Departments (SPDs) must clean, maintain, store, and organize surgical instruments which are then delivered to Operating Rooms (ORs) using a Courier Network, with regular coordination occurring across departmental boundaries. To represent these relationships, we utilized the Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety (SEIPS) 101 Toolkit, which helps model how health-related outcomes are affected by healthcare work systems. Through observations and interviews which built on prior work system analyses, we developed a SEIPS 101 journey map, PETT scan, and tasks matrices to represent the instrument reprocessing work system, revealing complex interdependencies between the people, tools, and tasks occurring within it. The SPD, OR and Courier teams are found to have overlapping responsibilities and a clear co-dependence, with critical implications for the successful functioning of the whole hospital system.

The increased adoption of digital systems in the maritime domain has led to concerns about cyber resilience, especially in the wake of increasingly disruptive cyber-attacks. This has seen vessel operators increasingly adopt Maritime Security Operation Centers (M-SOCs), an action in line with one of the cyber resilience engineering techniques known as adaptive response, whose purpose is to optimize the ability to respond promptly to attacks. This research sought to investigate the domain-specific human factors that influence the adaptive response capabilities of M-SOC analysts to vessel cyber threats. Through collecting interview data and subsequent thematic analysis informed by grounded theory, cyber awareness of both crew onboard and vessel operators emerged as a pressing domain-specific challenge impacting M-SOC analysts' adaptive response. The key takeaway from this study is that vessel operators remain pivotal in supporting the M-SOC analysts’ adaptive response processes through resource allocation towards operational technology (OT) monitoring and cyber personnel staffing onboard the vessels.