Research summary
Biomedical engineering can yield innovative solutions to a variety of health care challenges. But how can we make sure these solutions will ultimately improve decision-making in clinical settings?
Dr. Catherine Burns, Canada Research Chair in Human Factors in Healthcare Systems, is looking to develop more human-centred approaches to the design and implementation of advanced health care technologies. Her research will achieve this through four objectives: improving situation awareness, developing trust, improving workloads and supporting new workload patterns. Burns and her research team are using Cognitive Work Analysis (CWA), a framework that models the complex ways in which people and technology interact in workplaces. They are working closely with clinicians, patients and technology stakeholders to influence the design and development of transformative health technologies.