A combination for change
This ‘therapeutic alliance ‘where healthcare professional and patient combine, places end users, patients or healthcare consumers at the centre of healthcare solutions like never before. Increasingly the home is recognised as a medical care environment. In this context, the healthcare consumer is the primary user, rather than the healthcare professional. In this situation, as the end user is not a clinical professional, the bar for good usability, risk reduction and solution optimisation is extremely high.
In the professional healthcare environment, the safety and performance of medical equipment and devices are paramount to effective care delivery and outcomes. The requirement for manufacturers to deliver both safety and performance can be a challenge given the context of use and the use environment.
HFE Can Help
So, have you ever wondered how you know that you’re doing the right thing? That your project is going in the right direction? That the right questions are being asked of the right people? That the solutions answering those questions are appropriate and are being tested? Have you ever wished that you had user-focused data to support product requirement and project direction decisions?
The HFE process has been developed to answer these questions, to provide the data required to support decisions and reduce risk. This also ensures that the end user and their needs remain present throughout a development life cycle. The correct application of a HFE program and process is a strategic product development tool, cost containment and cost reduction tool as well as a regulatory requirement.
HFE as a strategic Tool
User-centred design enhances brand perception, while user-focused research and testing provide insight and market intelligence to inform solution optimisation. The process maintains an end user perspective through the development cycle and ensures that the right decisions are made for the right reasons.
