The Voices of Insulin Pump Trainers: Usability Challenges Observed During the Training of First-Time Pump Users
Location
DeSantis Room 1049
Format Type
Plenary
Format Type
Paper
Start Date
17-1-2020 2:45 PM
End Date
17-1-2020 3:05 PM
Abstract
Insulin pumps are designed for the self-management of diabetes in patients and are known for their complexity of use. Usability research related to insulin pumps and other infusion pumps with first-time users as participants has centered on the relationship between user interface design and the effectiveness of task completion. According to prior research, the characteristics of system behavior in a real life environment remain elusive. A suitable approach to acquire information about usability challenges encountered by first-time users is to obtain this information from the health care professionals who train them how to use the devices correctly to control the symptoms of their disease.
The purpose of this study was to uncover the phenomena associated with usability challenges observed by insulin pump trainers during the training sessions. Six participants representing a homogeneous sample were recruited from a wide geographic area within the United States. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to analyze the data from the lived experiences and shared impressions of the participants. Five super-ordinate themes were defined: Emotion-charged Environment, Personalized Training, Safety Issues and Disaster Planning, Professional Dedication, and The Voice.
The overarching research question states as follows: What is the essence of the experiences of insulin pump trainers while they teach first-time users how to use the device? The findings of this study will be presented as the very nature of the insulin pump trainers’ experiences and described around the pivotal moment when the training is successfully completed and insulin pump therapy becomes alive.
Keywords
insulin pump, usability, safety critical, training, phenomenology
The Voices of Insulin Pump Trainers: Usability Challenges Observed During the Training of First-Time Pump Users
DeSantis Room 1049
Insulin pumps are designed for the self-management of diabetes in patients and are known for their complexity of use. Usability research related to insulin pumps and other infusion pumps with first-time users as participants has centered on the relationship between user interface design and the effectiveness of task completion. According to prior research, the characteristics of system behavior in a real life environment remain elusive. A suitable approach to acquire information about usability challenges encountered by first-time users is to obtain this information from the health care professionals who train them how to use the devices correctly to control the symptoms of their disease.
The purpose of this study was to uncover the phenomena associated with usability challenges observed by insulin pump trainers during the training sessions. Six participants representing a homogeneous sample were recruited from a wide geographic area within the United States. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to analyze the data from the lived experiences and shared impressions of the participants. Five super-ordinate themes were defined: Emotion-charged Environment, Personalized Training, Safety Issues and Disaster Planning, Professional Dedication, and The Voice.
The overarching research question states as follows: What is the essence of the experiences of insulin pump trainers while they teach first-time users how to use the device? The findings of this study will be presented as the very nature of the insulin pump trainers’ experiences and described around the pivotal moment when the training is successfully completed and insulin pump therapy becomes alive.
Comments
Co-authored by Laurie P. Dringus, Ph.D., Nova Southeastern University, College of Engineering and Computing