scholarly journals A COVID-19 Emergency Response for Remote Control of a Dialysis Machine with Mobile HRI

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hassam Khan Wazir ◽  
Christian Lourido ◽  
Sonia Mary Chacko ◽  
Vikram Kapila
Keyword(s):  
User Experience ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
User Feedback ◽  
Control Panel ◽  
Task Load ◽  
Acute Kidney Disease ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
System Usability ◽  
Tablet Device ◽  
Modes Of Interaction

Healthcare workers face a high risk of contagion during a pandemic due to their close proximity to patients. The situation is further exacerbated in the case of a shortage of personal protective equipment that can increase the risk of exposure for the healthcare workers and even non-pandemic related patients, such as those on dialysis. In this study, we propose an emergency, non-invasive remote monitoring and control response system to retrofit dialysis machines with robotic manipulators for safely supporting the treatment of patients with acute kidney disease. Specifically, as a proof-of-concept, we mock-up the touchscreen instrument control panel of a dialysis machine and live-stream it to a remote user’s tablet computer device. Then, the user performs touch-based interactions on the tablet device to send commands to the robot to manipulate the instrument controls on the touchscreen of the dialysis machine. To evaluate the performance of the proposed system, we conduct an accuracy test. Moreover, we perform qualitative user studies using two modes of interaction with the designed system to measure the user task load and system usability and to obtain user feedback. The two modes of interaction included a touch-based interaction using a tablet device and a click-based interaction using a computer. The results indicate no statistically significant difference in the relatively low task load experienced by the users for both modes of interaction. Moreover, the system usability survey results reveal no statistically significant difference in the user experience for both modes of interaction except that users experienced a more consistent performance with the click-based interaction vs. the touch-based interaction. Based on the user feedback, we suggest an improvement to the proposed system and illustrate an implementation that corrects the distorted perception of the instrumentation control panel live-stream for a better and consistent user experience.

Measuring User Experience With 3, 5, 7, or 11 Points: Does It Matter?

2019 ◽  
pp. 001872081988131
Author(s):  
James R. Lewis
Keyword(s):  
User Experience ◽  
Web Site ◽  
Response Options ◽  
Standard Version ◽  
System Usability Scale ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
System Usability ◽  
Growing Body ◽  
Perceived Usability ◽  
Form Variant

Objective: To assess versions of the shorter form variant of Usability Metric for User Experience (UMUX-LITE) questionnaire differing in the number of response options for the items (3, 5, 7, and 11). Background: The UMUX-LITE is an efficient (two-item) standardized questionnaire that measures perceived usability. A growing body of evidence shows it closely corresponds to one of the most widely used standardized usability questionnaires, the System Usability Scale (SUS), with regard to both correlation and magnitude of concurrently collected means. Although the “standard” version of the UMUX-LITE uses items with seven response options, there is some variance in practice. Method: Members of a corporate user experience panel ( n = 242) completed surveys rating a recent Web site experience with the SUS and UMUX-LITE, also providing ratings of overall experience and likelihood-to-recommend. Results: Scale reliabilities were acceptable (coefficient α >.70) with the exception of UMUX-LITE with three response options. All UMUX-LITE correlations with SUS, overall experience, and likelihood-to-recommend were highly significant. For likelihood-to-recommend, there was a significant difference in the magnitude of correlations, with 11 response options higher than three. Although some statistically significant differences were observed in correspondence between SUS and UMUX-LITE scores, these did not seem to translate to practically significant differences. Conclusion: The number of UMUX-LITE response options does not matter much, especially in practice. Because the version with three response options showed some weakness with regard to reliability and correlation with likelihood-to-recommend, practitioners should avoid it. Application: Unless there is a strong reason to do otherwise, use the “standard” version with seven response options.

scholarly journals Comparison of VR and Desktop Game User Experience in a Puzzle Game: “Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes”

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (42) ◽  
pp. 180-204
Author(s):  
Mehmet İlker Berkman ◽  
Güven Çatak ◽  
Mıstık Çağın Eremektar
Keyword(s):  
User Experience ◽  
Task Complexity ◽  
Objective Measures ◽  
Spatial Presence ◽  
Development Environment ◽  
Satisfaction Scale ◽  
Great Opportunity ◽  
Task Load ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Nasa Tlx

Since the contemporary game production process is based on the Integrated Development Environment (IDE) applications, it is easier for developers to create multiple versions of their game for both VR and desktop platforms. This provided a great opportunity for researchers to conduct comparative studies to explore the user experience of the relatively novel virtual reality applications In this study, we evaluated a puzzle game through a within-subjects experiment design using objective measures of game success and gameplay duration, as well as plenty of subjective measures in order to assess game user experience, comparing desktop and VR. In addition to selected dimensions of GUESS (Game User Experience Satisfaction Scale), we employed MEC-SPQ (Measurement Effects Conditions - Spatial Presence Questionnaire) to measure presence. Furthermore, we employed NASA-TLX (NASA Task Load Index) to compare the perceived task complexity of the same task executed in VR and desktop gaming environments. Results revealed that there is not a significant difference in objective measures of player performance, comparing the VR and desktop gameplay. The Game User Experience Satisfaction Scale did not reveal any significant difference between the mean scores of VR and desktop experiences. The spatial presence related dimensions of MEC-SPQ revealed significantly higher scores of VR, for Possible Actions and Self Location dimensions. NASA-TLX weighted scores were significantly higher for VR in physical load and for desktop in frustration. Our results show that a puzzle-based game experienced in VR does not lead to a higher level of satisfaction in terms of game user experience but triggers a sense of spatial presence. Due to the different control schemes, players perceive that HMD based gameplay demands more physical task load. However, the gameplay duration and game success rate are not significantly different. The failure in desktop gameplay might have led to higher frustration, since the experience seems more familiar to players. Since the results are partially concordant with previous studies, it is not possible to make a strict conclusion on the effect caused by different immersive technologies on game user experience. Further studies are required through a more consistent methodology with a focus on game design components rather than game genre.

scholarly journals COVID-19 Seroprevalence among Healthcare Workers of a Large COVID-19 Hospital in Rome Reveals Strengths and Limits of Two Different Serological Tests

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 2650
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Vetrugno ◽  
Daniele Ignazio La Milia ◽  
Floriana D’Ambrosio ◽  
Marcello Di Pumpo ◽  
Roberta Pastorino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Test ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
Venous Blood ◽  
Administrative Staff ◽  
Serological Tests ◽  
Predictive Values ◽  
Work From Home ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Sensitivity Specificity

Healthcare workers are at the forefront against COVID-19, worldwide. Since Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli (FPG) IRCCS was enlisted as a COVID-19 hospital, the healthcare workers deployed to COVID-19 wards were separated from those with limited/no exposure, whereas the administrative staff were designated to work from home. Between 4 June and 3 July 2020, an investigation was conducted to evaluate the seroprevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) immunoglobulin (IgG) antibodies among the employees of the FPG using point-of-care (POC) and venous blood tests. Sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values were determined with reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction on nasal/oropharyngeal swabs as the diagnostic gold standard. The participants enrolled amounted to 4777. Seroprevalence was 3.66% using the POC test and 1.19% using the venous blood test, with a significant difference (p < 0.05). The POC test sensitivity and specificity were, respectively, 63.64% (95% confidence interval (CI): 62.20% to 65.04%) and 96.64% (95% CI: 96.05% to 97.13%), while those of the venous blood test were, respectively, 78.79% (95% CI: 77.58% to 79.94%) and 99.36% (95% CI: 99.07% to 99.55%). Among the low-risk populations, the POC test’s predictive values were 58.33% (positive) and 98.23% (negative), whereas those of the venous blood test were 92.86% (positive) and 98.53% (negative). According to our study, these serological tests cannot be a valid alternative to diagnose COVID-19 infection in progress.

scholarly journals An eye-tracking based robotic scrub nurse: proof of concept

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Ezzat ◽  
Alexandros Kogkas ◽  
Josephine Holt ◽  
Rudrik Thakkar ◽  
Ara Darzi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Eye Tracking ◽  
Technology Acceptance ◽  
Operating Time ◽  
Human Robot Interaction ◽  
Motion Sensors ◽  
Scrub Nurse ◽  
Task Load ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Nasa Tlx ◽  
Robotic Devices

Abstract Background Within surgery, assistive robotic devices (ARD) have reported improved patient outcomes. ARD can offer the surgical team a “third hand” to perform wider tasks and more degrees of motion in comparison with conventional laparoscopy. We test an eye-tracking based robotic scrub nurse (RSN) in a simulated operating room based on a novel real-time framework for theatre-wide 3D gaze localization in a mobile fashion. Methods Surgeons performed segmental resection of pig colon and handsewn end-to-end anastomosis while wearing eye-tracking glasses (ETG) assisted by distributed RGB-D motion sensors. To select instruments, surgeons (ST) fixed their gaze on a screen, initiating the RSN to pick up and transfer the item. Comparison was made between the task with the assistance of a human scrub nurse (HSNt) versus the task with the assistance of robotic and human scrub nurse (R&HSNt). Task load (NASA-TLX), technology acceptance (Van der Laan’s), metric data on performance and team communication were measured. Results Overall, 10 ST participated. NASA-TLX feedback for ST on HSNt vs R&HSNt usage revealed no significant difference in mental, physical or temporal demands and no change in task performance. ST reported significantly higher frustration score with R&HSNt. Van der Laan’s scores showed positive usefulness and satisfaction scores in using the RSN. No significant difference in operating time was observed. Conclusions We report initial findings of our eye-tracking based RSN. This enables mobile, unrestricted hands-free human–robot interaction intra-operatively. Importantly, this platform is deemed non-inferior to HSNt and accepted by ST and HSN test users.

Efficacy Investigation of Virtual Reality Teaching Module in Manufacturing System Design Course

2018 ◽  
Vol 141 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Junfeng Ma ◽  
Raed Jaradat ◽  
Omar Ashour ◽  
Michael Hamilton ◽  
Parker Jones ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
System Design ◽  
User Experience ◽  
Queuing Theory ◽  
Manufacturing System ◽  
Knowledge Gain ◽  
Teaching Module ◽  
Manufacturing System Design ◽  
System Usability ◽  
Complex Engineering

Manufacturing system design is a complex engineering field that requires cooperated and aggregated multiple-disciplinary theoretical and practical support. Thereby, the concepts and topics in manufacturing system design courses are not easy to grasp by students. Advances in virtual reality (VR) technology present a new opportunity that can provide the implementation of complex engineering theory from industrial real-life practice in a virtual 3D model. The authors developed a unique queuing theory VR teaching module that can be used in a manufacturing system design course. The module uses Oculus Rift headset, Oculus Touch, and unity 3D software package. The efficacy of this VR teaching module is measured through simulation sickness, system usability, and user experience tools. The statistical analysis shows that VR teaching module is a user-friendly and efficient tool for delivering queueing theory. Approximately 91.7% of the participants experienced below moderate level simulation sickness and none of them withdrew from the study; 91.67% had “above average” satisfaction in terms of system usability. The average user experience was found to be 3.625 out 6. The results also show that the system usability has impact on students' knowledge gain but not motivation, while user experience can affect student's knowledge gain and motivation. VR teaching module outperforms the traditional teaching module in terms of knowledge gain and motivation. Overall, the findings of the study confirm the efficacy of VR technology in teaching queuing theory.

scholarly journals The impact of SARS-CoV-2 transmission fear and COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of patients with primary immunodeficiency disorders, severe asthma, and other high-risk groups (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatih Çölkesen ◽  
Oguzhan Kilincel ◽  
Mehmet Sozen ◽  
Eray Yıldız ◽  
Sengul Beyaz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Severe Asthma ◽  
Primary Immunodeficiency ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
High Risk Group ◽  
Primary Immunodeficiency Disorder ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND The adverse effects of COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of high-risk group patients for morbidity and mortality and its impact on public health in the long term have not been clearly determined. OBJECTIVE To determine the level of COVID-19 related transmission fear and anxiety in healthcare workers and patients with primary immunodeficiency disorder (PID), severe asthma, and the ones with other comorbidities. METHODS The healthcare workers and patients with PID, severe asthma (all patients receiving biological agent treatment), malignancy, cardiovascular disease, hypertension (90% of patients receiving ACEI or ARB therapy), diabetes mellitus (42 % of patients receiving DPP-4 inhibitor therapy) were included in the study. A total of 560 participants, 80 individuals in each group, were provided. The hospital anxiety and depression scale ( HADS ) and Fear of illness and virus evaluation (FIVE ) scales were applied to the groups with face to face interview methods. RESULTS The mean age was 49.30 years and 306 (55 %) were female. The FIVE Scale and HADS-A scale scores of health care workers were significantly higher than other groups' scores (p = 0.001 and 0.006). The second-highest scores belonged to patients with PID. There was no significant difference between the groups for the HADS-D score (p=0.07). The lowest score in all scales was observed in patients with hypertension. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrated that in the pandemic process, patients with primary immunodeficiency, asthma patients, and other comorbid patients, especially healthcare workers, should be referred to the centers for the detection and treatment of mental health conditions.

scholarly journals Online Balint Group Work Versus Pharmacotherapy in Treatment of Coronavirus Anxiety in Healthcare Workers in Iran: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
najmeh shahini ◽  
shakiba gholamzad ◽  
zanireh salimi ◽  
Mansoureh Kiani Dehkordi ◽  
Saeedeh Hajebi Khaniki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Group Work ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Intervention Period ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Resilience Scale ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Balint Group ◽  
Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract Background: An increase in symptoms of anxiety is already being reported in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.Objectives: We aimed to compare the effectiveness of Balint group work with pharmacotherapy in coronavirus related anxiety among healthcare workers (HCWs) in Iran.Methods: In This pilot clinical trial, after passing a phone screening procedure by a psychiatrist, subjects were quasi-randomly assigned to Balint (8 sixty-minute online sessions) or pharmacotherapy (Sertraline) groups. Both groups were asked to fill two questionnaires, including the Corona Disease Anxiety Scale (CDAS) and Connor-Davidson resilience scale (CD-RISC), at the beginning and the end of the 4-week intervention period.Results: A total of 45 HCWs enrolled in this study. The results showed a significant difference between the post-test and pre-test scores of both groups in the total scores of anxiety and its subcomponents (p≤0.001). There was no significant difference between the effectiveness of the two interventions on anxiety (p=0.52). Both interventions had a significant effect on the subjects' resilience and its subscales (p≤0.05) except for positive acceptance change. The spiritual influences domain had a significantly higher increase in the pharmacotherapy group (P=0.031).Conclusions: We showed Balint group work maybe can better to pharmacotherapy with Sertraline in management of COVID-19 related anxiety and boosting resilience in healthcare workers.

scholarly journals A comparative characterization of nasal and clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus from west of Iran

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gholamreza Goudarzi ◽  
Yaser Hasanvand ◽  
Faranak Rezaei ◽  
Somayeh Delfani
Keyword(s):  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Meca Gene ◽  
Staphylococcal Enterotoxin ◽  
Healthcare Personnel ◽  
Clinical Samples ◽  
Resistance Pattern ◽  
Clinical Specimens ◽  
Significant Difference

Background and Objectives: Recently, the rise of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolated from hos- pital healthcare workers (HCWs) and various infectious samples has become one of the main concerns in hospital settings. Therefore, epidemiological studies are necessary to monitor antibiotic resistance patterns in each region and to study the pathogenesis of this strain to control infections. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 100 S. aureus isolates, including 50 isolates obtained from the anterior nares of healthcare workers, as well as 50 other isolates cultured from the various clinical specimens from the referral hospitals in Khorramabad (West of Iran) were tested. All isolates were examined to determine antibiotic resistance pattern, and the presence of staphylococcal enterotoxin A (sea), staphylococcal enterotoxin B (seb) and mecA genes. Results: The mecA gene was found among 36% (18/50) of the clinical S. aureus isolates (CSIs) and 14% (7/50) of nasal S. aureus isolates (NSIs), with statistically significant difference (X2 = 6.53; p = 0.011). The difference between the frequency rate of sea gene among MRSA strains isolated from clinical specimens (46.6%, 7/15) was significant compared to strains isolated from nostrils (14.3%, 1/7) (X2 = 3.85; p = 0.049). Conclusion: The frequency of mecA, sea, and seb genes among the clinical samples was more than strains isolated from the nostrils of healthcare personnel.

scholarly journals Challenges in Steroid and Anticoagulant Therapy in Severe COVID-19 Pneumonia: A Prospective Study

Antibiotics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 1214
Author(s):  
Alaa Thabet Hassan ◽  
Alaa E. Abd Elmoniem ◽  
Marwa Mahmoud Abdelrady ◽  
Mona Embarek Mohamed ◽  
Mohamed A. Mokhtar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Treatment Protocol ◽  
Severe Pneumonia ◽  
High Risk Group ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Treatment Protocols ◽  
Neutrophil Lymphocyte Ratio ◽  
Treatment Type ◽  
Acute Kidney Disease ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Group B

Background: As COVID-19 has neither a standard treatment protocol nor guidelines, there are many treatment protocols for anti-inflammatory corticosteroids and anti-coagulations for severe COVID-19 pneumonia patients. This study aimed to assess the most suitable modality in this high-risk group. Methods: A prospective, experimental study design was adopted that included 123 severe COVID-19 pneumonia patients admitted at Assiut University Hospital. Patients were divided into three groups according to a combined corticosteroid and anticoagulants therapy protocol. Group A included 32 patients, group B included 45 patients, and group C included 46 patients. Assessment of cases was conducted according to the treatment type and duration, weaning duration from oxygen therapy, length of hospital and ICU stay, and complications during treatment. Three months follow-up after discharge was performed. Results: the three patient groups showed significant differences regarding the 3-month outcome, whereas Group C showed the highest cure rate, lowest lung fibrosis, and lowest mortality rate over the other two groups. The in-hospital outcome, the development of pulmonary embolism, bleeding, hematoma, acute kidney disease, and myocardial infarction showed a significant difference between groups (p values < 0.05). Mortality predictors among severe COVID-19 patients by multivariable Cox hazard regression included treatment modality, history of comorbid diseases, increased C reactive protein, high neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, and shorter ICU and hospital stay. Conclusion: the use of combined methylprednisolone and therapeutic Enoxaparin, according to a flexible protocol for COVID-19 patients with severe pneumonia, had two benefits; the prevention of disease complications and improved clinical outcome.

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