ABSTRACT
Proper reprocessing of reusable medical devices is central to patient safety. Improperly reprocessed medical device can transmit viruses such as Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and HIV, as well as bacterial agents. Thus, errors may carry risks of preventable mortality, morbidity, and cost. Often, errors occur because of a failure to properly follow the manufacturer's instructions or Standard Operating Procedures. Unfortunately, this places much of the blame on the human operator rather than on the product design or other human factors. This paper reports findings of a heuristic evaluation of reprocessing procedures for flexible endoscopes, and provides design recommendations that target prominent heuristic violations.
