ABSTRACT
Ergonomic principles can play an important role in the evaluation and design of handheld medical devices. Traditionally, the process involves identifying gaps between worker capacities and the requirements of the task and tool, with the ultimate goals of preventing pain and disability, and improving productivity. Ergonomic analysis entails measurement of factors that affect the demands as people interact with equipment to achieve one or more goals. The elements of the interaction between humans and machines includes objectives, machine components, human components, and interactions between the human, machine, and an environment, which collectively provide a framework for understanding what people do and why. The goals include why the system exists and what the user, customer, employer, investor, or other concerned party wishes to derive from the system. For example, the objective for a system of measuring a patient’s blood pressure might be: “Measure blood pressure with an error less than ±5 mm Hg 90% of the time.”
