Human Factors Considerations in the Migration of Medical Devices from Clinical to Homecare Settings

To accommodate the increased number of patients receiving care at home, more and more medical devices are being taken out of the controlled clinical setting and are being used by lay caregivers in a home environment, thereby posing risks for misuse, malfunction and error. It has therefore become critical to examine the environment of medical devices being used in the home and to ensure that products intended for home healthcare use are being designed so that lay users can learn, operate, and maintain them with greater safety, satisfaction, accuracy, and comfort. This panel brings together representatives of four stakeholder groups associated with this issue – regulatory agencies, human factors professionals, the user population, and medical device developers. Panelist presentations and the ensuing discussion will focus on the concerns, issues, problems, and/or liabilities associated with medical devices migrating into the home, from each of these groups' perspectives.