A Consumers’ Testing Approach to the Usability of Medical Technology - Insulin Pumps and CGM Systems

Abstract

Five different insulin pumps and three systems for continuous glucose monitoring were subjected to usability tests at the School of Technology and Health. Each pump was trialed and rated by 30 respondents; 20 students with no experience of diabetes and 10 diabetic pump users. Each of the CGM systems was trialed and rated by 10 non-diabetic students. All participating students were enrolled in Medical Technology (Royal Institute of Technology) or Occupational Therapy (Karolinska Institute). The technical performance of pumps and CGM systems was tested independently. The respondents handled the insulin container, the software, the buttons, the screen and the manual through five scenario-based tasks. The trials and the accompanying attitude items were based on the ISO definition of usability. Efficiency was measured as the proportion of respondents succeeding to perform the tasks in less than 15 minutes, combined with the average time to do so. Effectiveness was the quotient of success frequency over average performance time. Satisfaction was the average distribution on the attitude items related to software, screen, buttons and manual. All products were ranked against each other within each separate test and the rank scores accumulated. There were significant differences in the scoring of the individual insulin pumps and CGM systems.

Keywords: Usability Testing, Medical Technology, Diabetes

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe100156