Patient ergonomics: the science and engineering of patient work
Abstract
As the locus of health care shifts from institutional to home- and community-based settings, patients are increasingly expected to engage in effortful activities related to their health and wellbeing. Such effortful activities may be conceptualized as a form of work, called patient work, and therefore, may be studied and supported through engineering methods and solutions. In this talk, I will introduce the emerging subdiscipline of patient ergonomics and discuss some of its theoretical underpinnings. I will then present a series of projects focused on understanding and designing consumer health IT solutions to support one aspect of patient work: patients’ coordination and communication about health with people in their social environment (e.g., family, friends, health care providers). I will conclude with a discussion of how advancing the field of patient ergonomics can benefit from meaningful engagement with both community partners and policy makers.
