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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2015 Mar;9(2):221-30.
doi: 10.1177/1932296814555158. Epub 2014 Oct 14.

Usability and training differences between two personal insulin pumps

Noel E Schaeffer  1 , Linda J Parks  2 , Erik T Verhoef  2 , Timothy S Bailey  3 , Alan B Schorr  4 , Trent Davis  3 , Jean Halford  5 , Becky Sulik  5
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Usability and training differences between two personal insulin pumps

Noel E Schaeffer et al. J Diabetes Sci Technol. 2015 Mar.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine if there were usability and training differences between the Medtronic MiniMed Paradigm Revel Insulin Pump and the Tandem Diabetes Care t:slim Insulin Pump during use by representative users, performing representative tasks, in a simulated use environment. This study utilized a between-subjects experimental design with a total of 72 participants from 5 sites across the United States. Study participants were randomized to either the Revel pump group or the t:slim Pump group. Participants were 18 years of age or older and managed their diabetes using multiple daily insulin injections. Dependent variables included training time, training satisfaction, time on task, task failures, System Usability Scale (SUS) ratings, perceived task difficulty, and a pump survey that measured different aspects of the pumps and training sessions. There was a statistically significant difference in training times and error rates between the t:slim and Revel groups. The training time difference represented a 27% reduction in time to train on the t:slim versus the Revel pump. There was a 65% reduction in participants' use error rates between the t:slim and the Revel group. The t:slim Pump had statistically significant training and usability advantages over the Revel pump. The reduction in training time may have been a result of an optimized information architecture, an intuitive navigational layout, and an easy-to-read screen. The reduction in use errors with the t:slim may have been a result of dynamic error handling and active confirmation screens, which may have prevented programming errors.

Keywords: engineering psychology; human factors; industrial psychology; insulin pump; medical device safety; psychology; research; use error; user experience research; user-centered design.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: NES, LJP, and ETV are full-time employees of Tandem Diabetes Care, Inc. TSB and TD are employees of AMCR Institute. JH and BS are full-time employees of Rocky Mountain Diabetes and Osteoporosis Center.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
t:slim pump.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
MiniMed Paradigm Revel Insulin Pump.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Training time.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Task failures.
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
Task difficulty.
Figure 6.
Figure 6.
SUS scores.
Figure 7.
Figure 7.
Confirmation screen.
Figure 8.
Figure 8.
Error handling.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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