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User involvement in healthcare technology development and assessment: Structured literature review

Syed Ghulam Sarwar Shah (Centre for the Study of Health and Illness, School of Social Sciences and Law, Brunel University, Uxbridge, UK)
Ian Robinson (Centre for the Study of Health and Illness, School of Social Sciences and Law, Brunel University, Uxbridge, UK)

International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance

ISSN: 0952-6862

Article publication date: 1 October 2006

4687

Abstract

Purpose

Medical device users are one of the principal medical device technology stakeholders. The involvement of users in medical device technology development and assessment is central to meet their needs. This study aims to examine this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

A structured review of the literature published from 1980 to 2005 in peer‐reviewed journals was carried out from a social science perspective to investigate user involvement practice in the development and assessment of medical device technologies. This was followed by a qualitative thematic analysis.

Findings

Medical device users include clinicians, patients, carers and others. Different kinds of medical devices are developed and assessed by user involvement. The user involvement occurs at different stages of the medical device technology lifecycle and the degree of user involvement is in the order of: design>testing and trials>deployment>concept stages. The methods most commonly used for capturing users' perspectives are usability tests, interviews and questionnaire surveys.

Research limitations/implications

The relevant engineering, medical and nursing literature, which might have been useful, was not reviewed. However, useful findings emerge that apply to health care generally.

Originality/value

This study shows that medical device users are not homogeneous but heterogeneous in several aspects, such as needs, skills and working environments. This is an important consideration for incorporating users' perspectives in medical device technologies.

Keywords

Citation

Ghulam Sarwar Shah, S. and Robinson, I. (2006), "User involvement in healthcare technology development and assessment: Structured literature review", International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Vol. 19 No. 6, pp. 500-515. https://doi.org/10.1108/09526860610687619

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2006, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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