2026-04-01
Greta Gasciauskaite, Stefanie Senn, Cynthia Hunn, Christoph B Nöthiger, David W Tscholl, Tadzio Raoul Roche
Background: Alarm fatigue caused by frequent or false alarms poses a persistent threat to patient safety. Despite technological progress, alarm acoustics remain largely unchanged and are often perceived as disruptive. To address this, Philips redesigned its patient monitoring alarm sounds through a user-centered approach aimed at improving priority differentiation and reducing emotional strain. Objective: This study provides insights into human-technology interaction by examining anesthesia providers’ experiences with the original and updated alarms, with a focus on emotional responses, usability, and guidance for the user-centered design of future clinical alarm systems. Methods: This single-center qualitative study involved anesthesia providers who completed an online questionnaire before and after the implementation of the updated Philips alarms. Only those who completed the pre-implementation phase participated in the postimplementation phase. The questionnaire included 4 open-ended questions addressing perceptions of the current alarm sounds, suggestions for improvement, design expectations, and attitudes toward an alarm-free operating room. Responses were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify key usability and emotional response themes. Results: A total of 90 eligible anesthesia providers participated in the preimplementation phase, and 77 (85.6%) participated in the postimplementation phase. Positive emotional responses increased in the postimplementation phase, whereas concerns regarding alarm functionality also became more prominent. Before the introduction of the updated alarm sounds, participants predominantly called for softer sounds. Following implementation, the most frequently expressed concern shifted to the need for clearer prioritization of alarms. Across both phases, the primary expectation remained the alarms’ ability to effectively capture attention. The concept of an alarm-free operating room elicited concerns about increased workload and potential risks to patient safety. Conclusions: The redesigned alarm sounds were perceived more positively in terms of emotional acceptance; however, they did not improve the recognition of alarm priority. The modest acoustic changes did not address the broader issue of alarm overload. Suggestions such as visual-only alerts for low-priority alarms show potential but must be balanced with patient safety standards. Future alarm development should combine user feedback with expert-driven and evidence-based approaches to improve both usability and clinical effectiveness.
2026-03-31
Yao He, Yves-Rolland Kouabenan, Paul Henri Assoa, Nancy Puttkammer, Stephen Gloyd, Noah Hoffman, Bradley H Wagenaar, Casey Iiams-Hauser, Pascal Komena, N’zi Pierre Fourier Kamelan, Adama Sanogo Pongathie, Jan Flowers, Nadine Abiola, Natacha Kohemun, Jean-Bernard Koffi Amani, Christiane Adje-Toure, Lucy A Perrone
Background: Data dashboards are popular tools for supporting routine monitoring and decision-making in public health. Two dashboards were developed in Côte d’Ivoire to visualize laboratory data on HIV viral load (VL) and early infant diagnosis (EID) testing. Objective: This study assessed the attitudes and experiences regarding data-driven decision-making and the VL and EID dashboards among existing and potential dashboard users in Côte d’Ivoire. Methods: We conducted a qualitative study including 2 focus group discussions (FGDs) and 12 in-depth interviews (IDIs). The conceptual framework for the use of health data in decision-making guided the FGDs, and the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research informed the IDIs. We used deductive and inductive approaches to analyze the interview data. Results: The 26 participants were from 17 organizations; 11 (42.3%) were female. The participants reported a supportive data culture that valued data-driven decision-making and external pressure from the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) that motivated data use. The dashboards were considered useful for monitoring performances and making decisions for service delivery and laboratory operations. Existing users used the dashboards regularly. Potential users expressed interest in the speed and ability to track progress. The participants considered the dashboards simple and straightforward compared to other analytical tools but suggested updating the dashboards more frequently and visualizing more data. Conclusion: The study highlighted the importance of supportive data culture and the potential of dashboards to promote data use. However, challenges such as limited access to the internet and equipment for potential users need to be addressed.
2026-03-18
Shu Li, Enming Zhang, Jiani Pan, Yan Xu, Kairong Zheng, Xun Xu, Qiong Fang
Background: Digital self-monitoring applications could provide individuals with macular disease with a convenient, quantitative method for tracking metamorphopsia at home; yet the usability of such tools remains to be fully established. Objective: This study evaluated the usability of a macular quantitative square grid self-examination application, a semiquantitative, touch-based self-monitoring application for macular function. Methods: This study used a convergent mixed methods design. The application quantifies (1) distortion severity, (2) distortion area, and (3) temporal trends through a 3-step touch interface. A total of 24 adults with neovascular age-related macular degeneration or diabetic macular edema, accompanied by self-reported metamorphopsia, participated in a single supervised test session. A 10-item System Usability Scale (SUS) was used to assess usability, and semistructured interviews were conducted to gather further insights. Quantitative data were summarized descriptively, and qualitative feedback underwent inductive thematic analysis. Results: A total of 24 participants completed the GridMacuScan application self-assessment, the SUS questionnaire, and 11 participants completed the interview when data saturation was achieved. All eyes that showed distortion on the Amsler grid also produced positive distortion maps on the GridMacuScan application, yielding 100% diagnostic concordance. The mean SUS score was 82.1 (SD 8.7), indicating “good-excellent” usability. The inductive thematic analysis yielded four overarching themes: (1) high usability and positive overall experience, (2) perceived functional advantages, (3) shortcomings and optimization suggestions, and (4) strong willingness for continued use. Conclusions: The GridMacuScan application demonstrated diagnostic sensitivity comparable to that of the traditional Amsler grid and received high user ratings for usability. Furthermore, it provided quantitative distortion metrics that could facilitate longitudinal disease surveillance. Future research must be conducted to validate performance in unsupervised home environments and investigate whether sustained use improves time-to-disease-progression detection and treatment outcomes.