Human Factors Engineering impact on System Workload and Manning Levels

A major thrust of the Army's MANPRINT methodology is to develop techniques to assess workloads and to reduce system manning. This paper reports on a research project conducted with the intent of quantifying the impact that application of human factors engineering technology has on the workload and manning levels of large, complex systems. The aircraft operational management system of a modern CV aircraft carrier was used as a test bed. A typical scenario was developed which included task sequences for each of 35 shipboard operators during a launch/recovery cycle involving 25 aircraft. Workloads were measured for operations as currently performed aboard aircraft carriers and compared to the same conditions except for the addition of automated status boards, which were intended to reduce the information processing load on the operators. The result of introducing the automated status board technology was the reduction of manning levels, time to perform operational sequences, and the number of overloaded operators.

Download Full-text

Human Factors Engineering Technology Integration into the Naval Ship Acquisition Process: Designing for Operability

Proceedings of the Human Factors Society Annual Meeting ◽

10.1177/107118137802200155 ◽

1978 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

pp. 203-207

Author(s):

Thomas B. Malone ◽

David Eike ◽

Cliff Baker ◽

Phillip J. Andrews

Keyword(s):

Human Factors ◽

Ship Design ◽

Current Status ◽

Human Factors Engineering ◽

Engineering Technology ◽

Acquisition Process ◽

Preliminary Model ◽

Naval Ship ◽

Navy Personnel ◽

Subordinate Role

Traditionally, Naval ship design programs have placed Human Factors Engineering (HFE) in a subordinate role to ship manning, a process primarily concerned with determining the ship's complement. As a result, HFE inputs to ship design documentation are often scattered, uncoordinated and lacking in fundamental standardization. The Naval Sea Systems Command has recently initiated an effort to correct these problems through a program designed to integrate HFE technologies into the ship planning and acquisition process. One of the primary objectives of this project is the development of an HFE Design Guide to assist Navy personnel in applying HFE technologies early in the design phase of the ship acquisition process. The paper describes the current status and philosophy of this program, and evaluates an attempt to apply a preliminary model of the Guide to Naval recovery systems presently in the development stages: the Mark-14 Arresting Gear System and the Beartrap Recovery Assist, Secure and Traverse System.

Download Full-text

A Human Factors Engineering Study of the Medication Delivery Process during an Anesthetic

Anesthesiology ◽

10.1097/aln.0000000000001040 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 124 (4) ◽

pp. 795-803 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Yushi Yang ◽

Antonia Joy Rivera ◽

Christopher R. Fortier ◽

James H. Abernathy

Keyword(s):

Human Factors ◽

General Surgery ◽

Cognitive Complexity ◽

System Analysis ◽

Human Factors Engineering ◽

Work Processes ◽

Work System ◽

Medication Delivery ◽

Anesthesia Providers ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background Prefilled syringes (PFS) have been recommended by the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation. However, aspects in PFS systems compared with self-filled syringes (SFS) systems have never been explored. The aim of this study is to compare system vulnerabilities (SVs) in the two systems and understand the impact of PFS on medication safety and efficiency in the context of anesthesiology medication delivery in operating rooms. Methods This study is primarily qualitative research, with a quantitative portion. A work system analysis was conducted to analyze the complicated anesthesia work system using human factors principles and identify SVs. Anesthesia providers were shadowed: (1) during general surgery cases (n = 8) exclusively using SFS and (2) during general surgery cases (n = 9) using all commercially available PFS. A proactive risk assessment focus group was followed to understand the risk of each identified SV. Results PFS are superior to SFS in terms of the simplified work processes and the reduced number and associated risk of SVs. Eight SVs were found in the PFS system versus 21 in the SFS system. An SV example with high risk in the SFS system was a medication might need to be “drawn-up during surgery while completing other requests simultaneously.” This SV added cognitive complexity during anesthesiology medication delivery. However, it did not exist in the PFS system. Conclusions The inclusion of PFS into anesthesiology medication delivery has the potential to improve system safety and work efficiency. However, there were still opportunities for further improvement by addressing the remaining SVs and newly introduced complexity.

Download Full-text

Human Factors Management in Systems Acquisition: Perspectives on an Applied Research and Development Success Story

Proceedings of the Human Factors Society Annual Meeting ◽

10.1177/154193128903301615 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 33 (16) ◽

pp. 1104-1108

Author(s):

Jay A. Horn

Keyword(s):

Research And Development ◽

Human Factors ◽

Operational Performance ◽

Human Factors Engineering ◽

Development Programs ◽

Success Story ◽

Engineering Research ◽

Engineering Effort ◽

The Impact

The role played by human factors engineering in the research and development of complex weapons systems is critical to satisfactory operational performance of the system. The role of the human factors engineering manager is no less critical; this individual is not only charged with designing, implementing and reviewing the human factors engineering effort, but also providing leadership in resolving conflicts, building concensus, and championing unpopular positions. This paper chronicles the impact of the human factors engineering program in a moderately-large R & D. The details of the project are analyzed using the an organizational model that focuses on the interactions among the organizational, technical and political logics prevalent at the time. Using this approach, several insights regarding the role of the HFE manager are revealed, and some guidelines for managing human factors engineering research and development programs are offered.

Download Full-text

ARL Human Factors Engineering Technology: Overview of 6.2 Efforts for Dr. Lemnios, DDRE

10.21236/ada559370 ◽

2012 ◽

Author(s):

Scott Kerick ◽

Michael LaFiandra ◽

Donald Headley ◽

John Lockett ◽

Susan Hill ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Human Factors ◽

Human Factors Engineering ◽

Engineering Technology

Download Full-text

Error Producing Conditions in the Intensive Care Unit

Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting ◽

10.1177/154193120705101121 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 51 (11) ◽

pp. 702-706 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

F. A. Drews ◽

A. Musters ◽

B. Markham ◽

M. H. Samore

Keyword(s):

Intensive Care Unit ◽

Intensive Care ◽

Human Factors ◽

Medical Devices ◽

Human Error ◽

Human Factors Engineering ◽

Patient Harm ◽

Safety Work ◽

The Impact ◽

Future Patient

Up to 98,000 patients die annually in U.S. hospitals due to human error. One of the areas where error occurs frequently is the Intensive Care Unit. Despite the impact of error, there is very little work that attempts to identify the human factors contributors to error in the ICU. The current study used the framework of error producing conditions to identify factors that are contributing to error. By modifying the method of assessing error producing conditions we were able to identify the extent to which individual conditions contribute to the prevalence of error. Also, we were able to identify the contribution certain devices have in the prevalence of error. Most importantly, the most critical devices for patient care were also identified as the ones that were rated the highest in their prevalence of error producing conditions and potential for hazard. Thus, developing medical devices that are reducing the device related potential for patient harm has to be a main goal for future patient safety work. This is a challenge sound human factors engineering should answer.

Download Full-text