ABSTRACT
In 1989, a study conducted at Brigham and Womens Hospital, in Boston, attempted to detemtine the causes of medical device failures 'Within the hospital environment over an eleven month period. The results of the study indicated 41% ofdevice problenls or failures were caused by user problems or errors. The use and/or misuse of a medical device is thus seen to have an important impact on the overall reliability of the device. The Inethodology that addresses such user issues is Ergonomics or Human Factors.
