Ulster University, Jordanstown, UK.
HeartSine Technologies Ltd., Belfast, UK.
Sci Rep. 2022 Aug 26;12(1):14575. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-18873-7.
Public access automated external defibrillators (AEDs) represent emergency medical devices that may be used by untrained lay-persons in a life-critical event. As such their usability must be confirmed through simulation testing. In 2020 the novel coronavirus caused a global pandemic. In order to reduce the spread of the virus, many restrictions such as social distancing and travel bans were enforced. Usability testing of AEDs is typically conducted in-person, but due to these restrictions, other usability solutions must be investigated. Two studies were conducted, each with 18 participants: (1) an in-person usability study of an AED conducted in an office space, and (2) a synchronous remote usability study of the same AED conducted using video conferencing software. Key metrics associated with AED use, such as time to turn on, time to place pads and time to deliver a shock, were assessed in both studies. There was no difference in time taken to turn the AED on in the in-person study compared to the remote study, but the time to place electrode pads and to deliver a shock were significantly lower in the in-person study than in the remote study. Overall, the results of this study indicate that remote user testing of public access defibrillators may be appropriate in formative usability studies for determining understanding of the user interface.
公共场所自动体外除颤器（AED）是一种紧急医疗设备，未经训练的非专业人员可能会在危及生命的紧急情况下使用。因此，必须通过模拟测试来确认其可用性。2020 年，新型冠状病毒引发了全球大流行。为了减少病毒的传播，实施了许多限制措施，如保持社交距离和旅行禁令。AED 的可用性测试通常是亲自进行的，但由于这些限制，必须研究其他可用性解决方案。进行了两项研究，每项研究都有 18 名参与者：（1）在办公空间中对 AED 进行的现场可用性研究，以及（2）使用视频会议软件对同一 AED 进行的同步远程可用性研究。在这两项研究中，评估了与 AED 使用相关的关键指标，例如打开设备的时间、放置电极片的时间和电击的时间。现场研究中打开 AED 的时间与远程研究中没有差异，但现场研究中放置电极片和电击的时间明显短于远程研究。总的来说，这项研究的结果表明，在确定用户对用户界面的理解的形成性可用性研究中，远程用户测试公共场所除颤器可能是合适的。
