Sabine Theis

Considering ergonomic aspects of head-mounted displays for applications in industrial manufacturing

In this paper, we apply a comprehensive approach to evaluate and analyze potential physiological and subjective workload effects of the application of head-mounted displays (HMDs) during a typical 3.5 hrs assembly operation. The approach refers to physical as well as cognitive workload associated with HMDs. The methods for capturing and determining physiological workload include an analysis of visual acuity, of visual field, electromyography (EMG), and general posture analysis (OWAS). Subjective ratings for overall workload (BLV, RSME) and simulator sickness (SSQ) are considered and analyzed in order to complete the analysis. Their feasibility and practical implementations are discussed based on the results of a pre-test with a smaller sample size in order to give recommendations for their practical use during on-going experiments and for future industrial applications.

Prolonged work with head mounted displays

This paper sums up the main results from a research project focusing on prolonged work with head mounted displays and the effect on physiological and mental strain.

The “Aachen fall prevention App” – a Smartphone application app for the self-assessment of elderly patients at risk for ground level falls

BackgroundFall incidents are a major problem for patients and healthcare. The “Aachen Fall Prevention App” (AFPA) represents the first mobile Health (mHealth) application (app) empowering older patients (persons 50+ years) to self-assess and monitor their individual fall risk. Self-assessment is based on the “Aachen Fall Prevention Scale,” which consists of three steps. First, patients answer ten standardized yes–no questions (positive criterion ≥ 5 “Yes” responses). Second, a ten-second test of free standing without compensatory movement is performed (positive criterion: compensatory movement). Finally, during the third step, patients rate their subjective fall risk on a 10-point Likert scale, based on the results of steps one and two. The purpose of this app is (1) to offer a low-threshold service through which individuals can independently monitor their individual fall risk and (2) to collect data about how a patient-centered mHealth app for fall risk assessment is used in the field.ResultsThe results represent the first year of an ongoing field study. From December 2015 to December 2016, 197 persons downloaded the AFPA (iOS™ and Android™; free of charge). N = 111 of these persons voluntarily shared their data and thereby participated in the field study. Data from a final number of n = 79 persons were analyzed due to exclusion criteria (age, missing objective fall risk, missing self-assessment). The objective fall risk and the self-assessed subjective risk measured by the AFPA showed a significant positive relationship.ConclusionsThe “Aachen Fall Prevention App” (AFPA) is an mHealth app released for iOS and Android. This field study revealed the AFPA as a promising tool to raise older adults’ awareness of their individual fall risk by means of a low-threshold patient-driven fall risk assessment tool.

Use of Information and Communication Technology in Healthcare Context by Older Adults in Germany: Initial Results of the Tech4Age Long-Term Study

Abstract In 2016 the interdisciplinary research team Tech4Age started its long-term survey to evaluate the use of information and communication technology (ICT) by older adults ( 60 +

Best Practices for Designing Electronic Healthcare Devices and Services for the Elderly

60+

Influence of Mobile ICT on the Adherence of Elderly People with Chronic Diseases

) in Germany. This study focuses on the use of ICT devices and applications, the evaluation how these devices are operated in terms of ergonomic hand positions, the investigation of health information usage as well as technology affinity, health literacy and computer literacy. The first run of the Tech4Age long-term study was done by sending a paper-based questionnaire to 5,000 individuals older than 60 years randomly selected from the total German population and equally locally distributed within Germany. Responses were collected from N = 551 participants with a mean age of 69.17 years (SD = 5.787). The gender ratio of the sample is balanced, including 51.3% male and 48.7% female. Results provide descriptive insights into technology usage and knowledge about influencing factors. Older adults already use modern ICT on a large scale, for example to do online banking or for mobility reasons (navigation, booking tickets, etc.), but health-related ICT products and applications have been used less, mainly due to mistrust. Investigation of health information usage showed that doctors and pharmacists are the main sources older adults rely on. Two thirds of all participants were satisfied with general information they got about health. The evaluation of the ergonomic use of ICT devices revealed a common way of use, namely that a majority of older adults prefer to use their ICT devices in the case of a small display in portrait mode and in the case of larger displays in portrait as well as landscape mode. Touch input is always performed with a finger or the second hand, the one not holding the device. The article will present and discuss the results in detail.

The nexus of human factors in cyber-physical systems: ergonomics of eyewear for industrial applications

Abstract Demographic change and associated shifts in the age structure lead to major challenges in health processes. One way to address this is to increase the use of telemedicine systems and services to ensure non-local yet individualized patient care, such as in rural areas. When considering new medical technology components, we must compensate for age-related changes in perception, cognition and motor skills to achieve user-centered design and take into account psychophysical effect relationships to achieve sustainable acceptance for technology integration. This paper presents various best-practice examples for participatory investigation into influencing factors, with a focus on the different times and periods within the lifecycle of a telemedical product and associated services. In addition to giving concrete design hints derived from individual studies, the paper discusses the strengths and weaknesses of the paradigms used and provides recommendations for user-centric development with old and very old patients.

An Age-Differentiated Perspective on Visualizations of Personal Health Data

A great variety of applications for mobile devices are designed to support users during medical intake. One of these applications is ‘Medication Plan’ which aims at supporting regular and correct intake of medication and documentation of vital parameters. The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of demographic and health-related factors on user behavior and patterns of use. The application was available free of charge between 2010 and 2012 in the Apple™-App-Store™. The study is based on data collected via an online questionnaire. In total 1799 participants generated 1708 complete data sets. 69 % of the users (74 % male) with a median age of 45 applied ‘Medication Plan’ for more than one day. The mean duration of application increased substantially with age ( 60 years = 103.9 days). However, other demographic factors (sex, educational status etc.) had no effect on usage intensity. Users with complicated medical treatment or aged > 60 years applied the application for 3 month on average. This is a promising trend towards the support treatment of chronic conditions with mobile applications.

Mobile Technology Improves Therapy-Adherence Rates in Elderly Patients Undergoing Rehabilitation—A Crossover Design Study

Smart eyewear devices may serve as advanced interfaces between cyber-physical systems (CPS) and workers by integrating digital information into the visual field. We have addressed ergonomic issues related to the use of a ruggedized head-mounted display (HMD) (Liteye 750A, see-through and look-around mode) and a conventional screen during a half-day day working shift (N=60). We only found minor physiological effects of the HMD, resulting into inflexible head posture, higher muscle activity over time of the left M. Splenius capitis and low performance given its look-around mode.

Age-related usability investigation of an activity tracker

The digitalization of medical human-machine system equips data with an essential role during processes supported by digital information systems. Here, data and information visualizations are able to reduce complexity only if influencing variables on human understanding, insight, and decision-making can be controlled, quantified and ergonomically designed. Present chapter provides an review on previous work in computer sciences, engineering, psychology and medicine in order to descriptively summarize human aspects which are relevant for the design of data and information visualizations in healthcare settings. The second part of this chapter builds upon the outcome of this review by working out current challenges of information and data visualization for consumer healthcare systems and introducing three studies which serves to tackle those challenges.