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PubMed1998

Integrating task and data flow analyses using the pentanalysis technique.

Pentanalysis is a new method that allows the integration of task analysis with data flow analysis. This is novel and desirable as it provides one means by which a human-computer interaction orientated method can provide input to the requirements specification stage of the software life cycle. It bridges the gulf that exists between this stage and one major representation, data flow diagrams, commonly used in the software design stage. The method is described and a worked example is provided to illustrate it.

Humans↗
PubMed1999

Conceptual design of industrial process displays.

Today, process displays used in industry are often designed on the basis of piping and instrumentation diagrams without any method of ensuring that the needs of the operators are fulfilled. Therefore, a method for a systematic approach to the design of process displays is needed. This paper discusses aspects of process display design taking into account both the designer's and the operator's points of view. Three aspects are emphasized: the operator tasks, the display content and the display form. The distinction between these three aspects is the basis for proposing an outline for a display design method that matches the industrial practice of modular plant design and satisfies the needs of reusability of display design solutions. The main considerations in display design in the industry are to specify the operator's activities in detail, to extract the information the operators need from the plant design specification and documentation, and finally to present this information. The form of the display is selected from existing standardized display elements such as trend curves, mimic diagrams, ecological interfaces, etc. Further knowledge is required to invent new display elements. That is, knowledge about basic visual means of presenting information and how humans perceive and interpret these means and combinations. This knowledge is required in the systematic selection of graphical items for a given display content. The industrial part of the method is first illustrated in the paper by a simple example from a plant with batch processes. Later the method is applied to develop a supervisory display for a condenser system in a nuclear power plant. The differences between the continuous plant domain of power production and the batch processes from the example are analysed and broad categories of display types are proposed. The problems involved in specification and invention of a supervisory display are analysed and conclusions from these problems are made. It is concluded that the design method proposed provides a framework for the progress of the display design and is useful in pin-pointing the actual problems. The method was useful in reducing the number of existing displays that could fulfil the requirements of the supervision task. The method provided at the same time a framework for dealing with the problems involved in inventing new displays based on structured analysis. However the problems in a systematic approach to display invention still need consideration.

Data Display↗
PubMed1976

Categorization behavior in aging subjects.

Age changes in categorization and conceptual styles were studied using an object-sorting task in 276 subjects representing 7 age groups: 5, 6, 7, 19-21, 60-69. 70-79, and 80-89. Significant age effects (p less than 01) were found in the analysis of variance for four of six measures; there were no significant sex or interaction effects. Strong quadratic trends were found for number of ungrouped objects, % relational-thematic responses, and % categorical-inferential responses; oldest groups' responses were similar to children's. A linear trend was found for number of groups. There was no significant age effect for category breadth. Use of descriptive-analytic categories by the elderly was negligible compared to younger subjects.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Root cause analysis in perinatal care: health care professionals creating safer health care systems.

Medical error is a leading cause of death in the United States. The root cause analysis (RCA) process provides the framework for analysis of sentinel events and other medical errors. A thorough understanding of this process is a key component in promoting safety within the health care setting. Risk reduction strategies are presented to make this process meaningful and efficient while promoting the ultimate goal of safer health care systems.

Humans↗
PubMed1991

Task variables and visual discomfort associated with the use of VDT's.

We investigated task variables that may influence the incidence of visual discomfort amongst subjects who routinely spent a proportion of their day working with visual display terminals (VDT's). A diary was kept by subjects over five consecutive working days, in which they recorded visual symptoms, the visual tasks undertaken, the amount of time spent on workbreaks, work pressure, work interest, and personal moderating factors which may have influenced the symptoms recorded. The symptoms recorded by subjects were then treated as dependent variables in multiple regression analyses with the diary findings (task-related factors) as independent variables. The incidence of some types of symptoms was significantly associated with specific categories of work tasks, personal moderating influences, work pressure, work interest, time of day, and day of week.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Occupational physicians in Israel: work structure, job and personal characteristics, and job satisfaction.

This study concerns psychosocial factors among Israeli occupational physicians. Eighty-one participants (specialists, residents, and general practitioners) responded anonymously to questionnaires assessing activities demanded by the job, satisfaction from these activities, negative and positive job characteristics, job involvement, and global job satisfaction. There was little overlap between the most frequent activities (fitness for work assessments, statutory health surveillance examinations, and administrative tasks) and the activities the physicians enjoyed most (professional consultations and participation in continuing medical education (CME) activities, fitness for work assessments, and scheduled workplace visits). The most powerful predictors of job satisfaction were job involvement and satisfaction with job activities. Job involvement was related to job characteristics. The findings provide various insights for promoting job involvement and satisfaction, such as improving communication, social support, and feedback within the occupational health system and finding ways to increase quality.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1992

A nonstationarity test for the spectral analysis of physiological time series with an application to respiratory sinus arrhythmia.

The spectral analysis of time series requires the signal to be at least weakly stationary; i.e., the mean, (co-) variance, and spectrum of the time series should not vary from segment to segment. It is commonly assumed that psychophysiological time series are not stationary. This study introduces a nonstationarity test to the psychophysiological literature, which is derived from evolutionary spectral analysis. Basically, the test consists of a double window technique in both the time and frequency domains, leading to a two-way analysis of variance for times and frequencies. In the current study, the nonstationarity test is applied to heart rate data obtained in a typical psychophysiological setting. Heart rate and respiration were measured in four age groups under four conditions--rest, paced breathing, vigilance, and reaction time. The results indicate that only few physiological time series were completely stationary. However, for every subject, and in every condition stationary stretches could be found that were long enough to apply spectral analysis. Spectral measures (power, coherence, and phase spectra) were then compared for stationary parts of the data and the total data. This comparison indicated that nonstationarity affects all spectral measures. Most importantly, Stationarity x Task Condition x Frequency Band interactions were observed for coherence and phase spectra, and there were significant interactions with age for each of the spectral indices. These findings suggest that nonstationarity may result in biased outcomes of significance tests of the effects of task manipulations on the spectral indices of cardiac time series. Thus, it was concluded that the stationarity test should be routinely applied in the spectral analysis of physiological time series. In addition, it was suggested that the nonstationarity test has an even wider range of application that might be of interest to the psychophysiologist.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Statistical process control: a practical application for hospitals.

A six-step plan based on using statistics was designed to improve quality in the central processing and distribution department of a 223-bed hospital in Oakland, CA. This article describes how the plan was implemented sequentially, starting with the crucial first step of obtaining administrative support. The QI project succeeded in overcoming beginners' fear of statistics and in training both managers and staff to use inspection checklists, Pareto charts, cause-and-effect diagrams, and control charts. The best outcome of the program was the increased commitment to quality improvement by the members of the department.

California↗
PubMed2003

A participatory approach to the study of lifting demands and musculoskeletal symptoms among Hong Kong workers.

AIMS: To investigate the use of a worker based methodology to assess the physical stresses of lifting tasks on effort expended, and to associate this loading with musculoskeletal outcomes (MO). METHODS: A cross sectional study was conducted on 217 male manual handling workers from the Hong Kong area. The effects of four lifting variables (weight of load, horizontal distance, twisting angle, and vertical travel distance) on effort were examined using a linguistic approach (that is, characterising variables in descriptors such as "heavy" for weight of load). The numerical interpretations of linguistic descriptors were established. In addition, the associations between on the job effort and MO were investigated for 10 body regions including the spine, and both upper and lower extremities. RESULTS: MO were prevalent in multiple body regions (range 12-58%); effort was significantly associated with MO in 8 of 10 body regions (odds ratios with age adjusted ranged from 1.31 for low back to 1.71 for elbows and forearm). The lifting task variables had significant effects on effort, with the weight of load having twice the effect of other variables; each linguistic descriptor was better described by a range of numerical values rather than a single numerical value. CONCLUSIONS: The participatory worker based approach on musculoskeletal outcomes is a promising methodology. Further testing of this approach is recommended.

Adult↗